Highland Trip
by Immortal Spud Thief
Summary: Multi-chapter. A grave full of bodies is found in the Scottish highlands but the bodies are that of English citizens, the home office elect Harry and Nikki to go and perform the autopsies. Longer, better summary inside.
1. Chapter 1

**Thanks to Lillypad1 for giving me this idea, I hope to do it justice but I apologise if I dont. XP.**

**Summary: A grave of English bodies is found in a remote town in the Scottish highlands, the conservative residents of the town will only let a married couple perform the autopsies so guess who the home office send? While there, Harry and Nikki have to confront their feelings for each other, especially considering that men are considered dominant in this town. How will Nikki react to _that_?**

**xxx**

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The ten year old boy laughed as he ran as quickly as he could away from his father who was chasing him over the hilly paddock that backed onto their farm. He looked behind him and laughed when he saw the grin on his father's face and turned around again but tripped suddenly and fell flat on his hands and knees.

"Are you alright son?" his father asked in his strong Scottish accent as the older man reached his son. The young boy went to nod and get up but he caught sight of something just in front of him.

"What is that papa?" he asked and reached over to pull the loose soil away and let out a terrified scream as he saw what was underneath.

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Leo couldn't help but smirk when he looked out of his office at his two unsuspecting co-workers who, instead of doing the work they were paid to do, were arguing over something one of them had said. Leo had no desire to find out what they were arguing about or who started it, he felt as though he was working with his children. That thought made him feel very old. He had just come off the phone from talking to the powers that be at the home office and was about to break some news to Harry and Nikki. Standing up he couldn't help but wonder how they would both react to the news.

"Well as it looks as though you are not doing any work today" he said as he walked out of his office and both adults, although Leo wasn't too sure they had actually grown up, jumped slightly "I have just been on the phone to the powers that be at the home office and they have a case for you"

"Is it big?" Nikki asked and Harry chuckled from where he was perched on her desk, no doubt in Leo's mind that he had started the argument "And no sick innuendo from you thank you"

"Would I?"

"Yes" Nikki and Leo answered together and laughed at the pout on Harry's face.

"Anyway it's in Scotland..."

"Scotland?" Harry asked incredulously and shot Nikki a look as she shrugged at him "In case you didn't know that is _way_ off our radar"

"Yes I know that" Leo replied as he rolled his eyes "But the Scottish authorities want us, well you, up there because they are the bodies of English citizens"

"What do you mean 'well you'?" Nikki asked suspiciously and a smirk appeared on Leo's face making both Harry and Nikki slightly nervous.

"Well the town where the bodies were found they have...customs and regulations. They are still a traditional town with their own..well, traditions and we intend to respect them" Leo explained "The town elders have agreed to let pathologists in as long as they are a married couple, and I mean a male/female married couple"

"Right so you are telling us this because....?" Harry asked slowly and Leo just smiled and looked from him to Nikki who looked like she had worked it out.

"As home office pathologists the home office thought that you two were the best candidates for the job" Leo replied and laughed loudly at the shocked looks on both his friends' faces "I agreed of course so you'll be leaving first thing tomorrow"

"Hold on" Harry said loudly as Leo turned away from them to walk back into his office "What...how...we aren't even _married_"

"Well then let us hope your acting skills are up to standard" Leo grinned before he walked away from them.

Harry turned to Nikki who just shrugged and put down the pen she had been fiddling with. Harry suddenly grinned.

"You do realise we are going to have to share a bed" he stated and Nikki had to force down images that arose in her mind and a blush that formed on her cheeks "Probably the only suitable man to ever grace your bed" he joked and Nikki threw a pen at him as he laughed loudly.

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**Hope you liked the first chapter, it's only short to let you get the feel of this new story.**

**xxx**


	2. Chapter 2

"So are you all set?" Leo asked as the three pathologists stood outside the lab the next afternoon, Harry and Nikki waiting to leave.

"Pretty much" Harry nodded as he closed the boot of his car after heaving Nikki's case into it "How many clothes did you bring Nikki?" he joked and she poked her tongue out at him as Leo chuckled "You are enjoying this aren't you Leo?"

"Immensely" Leo replied and handed Nikki a manila folder "Case details, details of where you are staying, and some of their customs as well"

"Thanks" Nikki mumbled as she opened it and flicked through the papers, it would entertain her on the long journey "See you in a few weeks" she then hugged Leo and kissed him on the cheek before turning and getting in the car.

"Hold on haven't you forgotten something?" Leo asked as she did so and Nikki turned to him and frowned. He held up his left hand where his own wedding ring still was "Rings?"

Nikki and Harry groaned when they heard this, they had been busy getting everything else ready they had completely forgotten they were meant to be married.

"Good thing I am here isn't it?" Leo smiled as he pulled three boxes out of his coat pocket and handed them to, not missing Nikki's slight blush and Harry's hesitant look towards Nikki's box and then her hand.

"Wow, it's beautiful" Nikki breathed as she opened the box to find a gold ring with four rubies encrusted across the top "Why two?"

"Engagement as well" Leo pointed out and Nikki rolled her eyes at her own stupidity as she took both the 'engagement' ring and the 'wedding' ring out of their boxes and slipped them on her finger, Harry doing the same. This made Leo force back a chuckle, they had hours yet until they even passed the Scottish border but they had already put them on. "Right you're going to be late"

"Thank you" Nikki said again and hugged Leo one more time before she climbed into the passenger side door. Leo turned to Harry who grinned.

"Do I get a hug as well?" he asked cheekily and Leo just rolled his eyes and held out his hand, which Harry shook.

"Look after her Harry" Leo mumbled so Nikki couldn't hear even through the car door "Don't do anything stupid"

"Why would I do..."

"You'll be late" Leo interrupted him and Harry frowned and nodded before slapping Leo on the shoulder and walking round the car to the driver's side and climbing in.

"So where are we going?" Harry asked Nikki who was reading the folder on her lap, she gave him the address and he put it into his sat nav. Harry groaned loudly when he saw how long it would take them.

"Nine hours" he moaned as they drove off down the road.

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Two hours later and Nikki had thoroughly read through the customs of the town they were visiting and she wasn't impressed by any of them.

"Go on then" Harry said as he motioned to the folder on Nikki's legs "Tell me some customs so I don't make a prat of myself"

"You will anyway" Nikki mumbled and Harry shot her a playful glare making her giggle "Apparently men are dominant in this town"

Harry snorted and Nikki shot him a look which shut him up.

"The women have to stay at home and do 'traditional' woman's things, sew, clean, bring up the children. All the tedious things"

"You don't want to bring up children?" Harry asked suddenly and Nikki frowned at his question, it's not that she didn't want children, it was the fact that she hadn't found the proper man to have them with. She glanced over at Harry and felt her heart flutter when she looked at him so turned away quickly, this attraction to him was getting out of hand, he obviously didn't like her back so there was no point holding on to it. She found she couldn't help it though, she was dreading having to share a bed with him for who knows how long.

"Apparently they are also very open about sex as well" Nikki added as she looked at Harry for his reaction, he just raised his eyebrows slightly and kept on driving "Which is weird for such a conservative place"

"Maybe they just don't see it as being something to keep to oneself like most of us do" Harry shrugged "Like people on the continent they have no trouble with it, it's just us prudish English people who seem to hide it"

"Yeah" Nikki murmured and shrugged "Maybe"

"So I get to be dominant over you?" Harry asked after a few minutes of comfortable silence. Nikki gave him an exasperated look as he laughed "Won't that make a change?"

"Oh grow up" Nikki laughed "Just wait until we get back home, I'll make it up to you then"

"I do hope so" Harry replied with a large grin on his face "It'll seem weird me being in charge"

"You won't be in charge" Nikki snapped "All this male domineering thing is bull"

"I expected that from someone as dominant as you" Harry shrugged and glanced quickly at Nikki "You hate it when men get the upper hand on you"

Nikki only made an angry noise in response and turned to look out of the car window at the passing countryside. What Harry said was true, she hated it when men thought they were better at her just because she was female. It had all started when she was in primary school and she decided she wanted to be a doctor, one of the boys in her class had laughed at her and said she couldn't be a doctor because she was a girl, and that she had to go and do something girly. She had spent two weeks in detention for beating him up. Nikki smirked at the memory, no one had told her that she couldn't become a doctor after that.

"Are you alright sharing a bed with me?" Harry asked her, breaking her thoughts and Nikki didn't know what answer to give him.

No, because she didn't want to make a fool of herself, and yes just because she wanted to be in the same bed as him.

"It's fine" Nikki replied "If it doesn't work then you can sleep on the sofa"

"Male dominance" Harry said in a sing song voice.

"Not in the bedroom" Nikki shot back and paused "I can't believe I just said that"

Harry howled with laughter at the look on Nikki's face.

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**Yeah I dunno how long it takes to get from London to Scotland but hey...it's now nine hours by car. XD**

**xxx**


	3. Chapter 3

It was well into the night by the time Harry and Nikki were nearly near the village, whose name neither of them could pronounce and Nikki had fallen asleep a few hours beforehand. Harry smiled slightly as he glanced over at the woman next to him in the car and his smile turned wistful as he thought about how they would have to act as husband and wife in the next few days. He knew it wouldn't be hard for him to act, he only wished it was real. His eyes caught the rings on Nikki's finger and his chest tightened as he remembered that he hadn't put them there, it was Leo, and that they were only pretending. He realised that he was now driving down a cobbled road and stopped outside the building which they had been told to do, not surprisingly it was a pub. Rolling his eyes, Harry reached over and gently shook Nikki.

"Nikki darling wake up" he whispered, cringing as the word 'darling' just slipped out without him realising. Nikki groaned and reached over to sleepily bat him away her eyes still closed "We're here"

"Go away" Nikki mumbled "Five more minutes"

"No more minutes" Harry laughed as he undid his seatbelt. The pub door suddenly flew open and bathed the street outside in a yellow glow, illuminating the car causing Nikki to moan loudly. She opened her eyes and blinked sleepily and smiled at Harry before turning to the lone male figure that had walked out of the pub. Harry and Nikki glanced at each other nervously before climbing out of the car.

"Drs Cunningham and Alexander?" the elderly man asked in a strong Scottish accent and Harry nodded and replied.

"Yes, I'm Dr Cunningham and this" he gently wrapped his arm around Nikki's waist as he lied through his teeth "Is my wife"

"Also a doctor" they heard the man mumble and shake his head. Harry felt Nikki tense when he said this and gently rubbed her side causing Nikki to turn her head and give him a smile which he returned. "Please come in"

Harry reached down and took Nikki's hand in his and lead them into the pub, Nikki let Harry do the talking seeing as they would probably listen to him more. They followed the elderly man through a long corridor and he held the door open for Harry who in turn held it open for Nikki, their hands still entwined, neither one of them wanting to let go. They entered the main bar area and caught sight of the elderly man seating himself at a round table in the middle of the room, three other younger, although older than Harry and Nikki, males sat around the table each with a drink in front of them. The bar man was standing behind the bar cleaning glasses, Harry and Nikki suspected that none of the glasses actually needed cleaning but didn't say anything.

"This is Dr Cunningham and his wife.." the older man introduced Harry and Nikki, he paused "Dr Alexander" he then motioned for both younger people to sit down on the spare chairs and they did so, refusing the offer of drinks.

"I am Adair Ainsley" the elderly man introduced himself and pointed to the man on his left. He had short brown hair, the same colour as Harry's and bright blue eyes "This is my son Alec" he pointed to the next man, he had light brown hair and brown eyes "Alistair Boyd" and lastly the last man who was sitting nearer Nikki, he had green eyes and ginger hair, Nikki found him quite attractive "Beathan Cameron"

The men greeted Harry and Nikki, mostly focussing on Harry. Nikki gripped his hand under the table in anger and it was only then that they both realised that their hands were still entwined, they quickly moved their hands away and refused to look at each other.

"Alistair's young son found the bodies in the field at the back of their farm" Alec informed Harry and Nikki, well he informed Harry, he flatly refused to look at Nikki or even admit she was there, this irked Harry somewhat "It would be easier to look tomorrow, it is to dark at the moment"

"That's fine" Harry nodded "Thank you"

"Alec will escort you to the house where you are staying" Adair told Harry as all four men stood up and Harry and Nikki followed suit, Harry autopmatically reached out for Nikki's hand and she looked down at them in confusion but gripped Harry's anyway.

"House?" Harry asked as Nikki frowned "I thought we were in a hotel"

Adair chuckled lightly and gave them both a smile.

"You have the entire house to yourself, you are a married couple after all and I find that having sex is hard in a hotel is it not?" Adair enquired with no embarrassment as Harry and Nikki both flushed slightly and avoided looking at each other "We will meet here tomorrow at seven in the morning, good night to you all"

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"So how long have you two been married?" Alec asked, his accent as broad as his father's.

"Five years" Harry answered, he and Nikki had agreed on their story on the long trip up there "We were...courting" he had to use the right word there "For two years before that"

Nikki gave Harry a smile which he didn't see and had to turn away to hide the disappointment when she realised that none of it was true. They had only been acting for a few minutes and already she wanted to believe it.

"Any children?" Alec asked breaking Nikki out of her thoughts

"Not yet no" Harry shook his head and glanced at Nikki who nodded encouragingly at him then he continued "We thought we would have a few years on our own first but we have started to try, haven't we darling?"

"Of course" Nikki grinned "I can't wait to get pregnant, although I hope we have a boy"

Harry's heart jumped when he heard this and wished everything they were saying was true, however he knew Nikki didn't feel the same way about him.

"Here we are then" Alec stopped in front of a medium sized cottage at the end of the main road. It was two stories high and looked very open and inviting. Alec held up the keys and Harry took them from him with a smile "The fridge is already stocked and you'll find everything you need in the house already"

"Thank you" Harry nodded and looked down at Nikki who was staring at the cottage with a small smile on her face "I will escort my wife in then go and get the car"

"As you wish" Alec nodded and turned away slightly "I will see you tomorrow at seven" he then walked off leaving Harry and Nikki standing in the dark street.

"Friendly character" Nikki mumbled to Harry causing him to laugh loudly as he unlocked the door and held it open for Nikki "Do you want help with the cases?"

"No I'll be fine" Harry replied and waved his hand in the general direction of the house "Go and explore"

"Yes _sir_" Nikki mumbled sarcastically and Harry threw her a withering look before he turned and walked out of the door. When she was certain he had gone, Nikki turned and quickly walked up the stairs in search of the bedroom, she opened the door at the furthest end of the landing from the stairs and a loud groan escaped her as she spotted the double bed in the middle of the room and the door that was open on the other side of the room showed an en suite bathroom. Shutting the door she then checked on the other rooms, one was a study, one was an extra bathroom and one was a large storage cupboard with extra towels and bed linen. Nikki decided that fate hated her and made her way slowly down the stairs to look around. She didn't know if she would survive the entire time they were there in the same bed as Harry.

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**So what else could Harry do to take advantage of his 'male dominance' while he still has the chance? Things he wouldn't be able to do in London......I need ideas please! XD**

**xxx**


	4. Chapter 4

"Are you sure you don't want me to sleep on the sofa?" Harry asked Nikki as he walked around the bedroom collecting his bedclothes. Nikki was already sitting up in bed, a book in her hand as she tried to avoid looking at Harry, it was bad enough that he had only grabbed a pair of jogging bottoms.

"No it's fine" Nikki shrugged and stole a glance at Harry as he walked to the door "We're both adults"

"Exactly" came Harry's quiet reply before he walked out of the door and Nikki wondered if he meant to let her hear that or not. Shrugging to herself she turned back to her book but groaned in frustration when she found herself reading the same line four times. Abandoning the book, she placed it on the bedside table and lay down in bed, thinking that it would be easier if she didn't see Harry walk back into the room in just his jogging bottoms. She blushed at the thought and buried her head in the pillow as she heard Harry walk back into the room, he must have thought she was already asleep after the long day they had had because he quietly turned out the main light and carefully climbed into bed next to her. Nikki felt her breathing quicken when she felt his presence in the bed, this wasn't how she had imagined getting in bed with Harry but she found it didn't matter, she was comforted by his presence.

The next morning both Harry and Nikki were woken up by the blaring alarm that Harry had set the night before. Nikki groaned slightly as she gained consciousness and shifted slightly, not opening her eyes against the flood of early morning light through the curtains. She suddenly realised that she wasn't laying on her pillow and that there was something warm resting on her waist. Her eyes flew open and she blushed violently as she realised that she was laying close to Harry, her head on his chest and one arm slung over his stomach. Nikki glanced down at her waist and saw that Harry had one arm around her and was holding her tightly against him. She lifted her head slightly and hoped to move without Harry noticing but she stopped when there was a chuckle from Harry.

"Good morning" he said sleepily and Nikki shot up and moved away from him quickly her blush deepening as she tried to think of something to say "You aren't always like this the morning after are you?" Harry joked and Nikki spluttered something that to Harry sounded like 'bugger off' but he ignored her and gave her a grin.

"How did...did we..um..get like..never mind" Nikki motioned to herself and Harry, unable to say anything coherent after being at such close proximity to Harry. Her eyes moved over his naked torso and she had to look away to hide her blush at the thought that she had been laying on it.

"Well we didn't do anything" Harry stated cheekily and Nikki rolled her eyes and slapped him on the arm as she climbed out of the bed.

"Obviously" she replied, glad she could get back to her normal self after the shock, albeit a nice shock, of waking up draped over her best friend. She glanced at the bedside clock and saw that it was half past five in the morning, she groaned loudly and glanced back at Harry who was laying in the bed staring at her, not at all worried that he was only laying in his jogging bottoms, he also didn't seem to see the effect that was having on her. "I'm having the bathroom first, go and make coffee"

"Excuse me?" Harry asked seriously as he raised an eyebrow although Nikki could see his lips twitching "I don't think they.." he motioned with his head towards the general direction of the town "Will like you talking to me like that, they may tell me to punish you" he added suggestively and Nikki made a noise of frustration in the back of her throat and walked quickly out of the room before she could say anything to embarrass herself further. Harry watched her go and shook his head, he found that she was so easy to wind up at the moment. His sarcastic comments and noncommittal nature hid his true nervousness.

Nikki groaned as she climbed into the shower and let the water rush over her, waking up draped over Harry was something she had always wanted, sometimes dreamt of but to do it when they weren't even dating or just plain sleeping together was embarrassing. They were just friends, very close friends, and as much as Nikki wanted something more she knew Harry didn't. Nikki didn't know how she would survive the whole time she was there, especially if every morning she woke up in the same position.

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**I just had to have them waking up in an awkward possition. XD**

**xxx**


	5. Chapter 5

"Good morning" came a strong Scottish accent from behind Harry and Nikki where they were standing on the step to the pub at five minutes to seven. Harry had been pointing out the mist on the hills to Nikki, something that they were both taken by, not normally used to such sights in the middle of London, both of them were standing close to each other. Both of them jumped slightly and turned around to see Adair standing observing them "Taking in the sights I see"

"Of course" Harry nodded after Nikki nudged him in the ribs to prompt him to reply, he was so used to Nikki answering first "We don't get views like this in London"

"It is beautiful up here" Adair agreed and nodded towards someone standing in the pub door behind the two pathologists. They both turned to see Alec and Alistair standing in the doorway, they both greeted Harry and Nikki with a curt nod of their heads.

"Should a woman be coming up there?" Alec asked his father without as much as a hint of stifling the cockiness his voice "Shouldn't she be staying at the house"

Nikki stepped forward and opened her mouth to say something to disagree with the man but Harry quickly reached up and gripped her forearm gently but firmly and shook her head, the other men noticed Nikki's action however and frowned.

"I apologise for my wife, she seems to have a mind of her own at times" Harry told the men who nodded solemnly as if agreeing and Harry gave Nikki an apologetic look as she yanked her arm from his hand violently. Even though she knew Harry was joking it still hurt to have to act like she was nothing.

"Women with minds of their own are dangerous beings" Alec said simply causing Harry and Nikki to stare at him, both of them speechless.

"Shall we go?" Harry asked quickly and Adair nodded and motioned for everyone to start walking towards the opposite end of town from where Harry and Nikki were staying.

"The bodies must have changed" Adair started a conversation as they walked up a steep path towards what looked like a farm, he was quite fit for an elderly man "I mean it has been almost three days"

"Well it depends on different factors" Harry told him and started to tell the elderly Scotsman about how the bodies may have changed. Nikki tuned out and looked around where they were walking, the mist had cleared slightly and the hills were sparkling where the dew of the early morning reflected the sun. She smiled slightly at the scene and wondered why she hadn't ventured out of London much since she had arrived there.

Nikki was brought out of her thoughts by Adair's next statement.

"My son tells me you are trying for a child"

Nikki whipped her head around to look at the elderly man and nodded slightly, forcing a smile at the same time. Harry gave her a smile and reached down to grasp her hand slightly and grinned at her when Adair wasn't looking at him, Nikki sent him a withering look. Harry let go of her hand and rested it on her shoulder as they kept on walking, the farm was further than it looked.

"Yes we are" Harry agreed "Although I'm not sure Nikki should be working in case anything happens"

"I'm not pregnant yet Harry" Nikki told him and it struck her that that sentence was probably the weirdest thing she had ever said to Harry "I'm fine to work"

"I just worry" Harry replied and shot her a look before turning to Adair "She's always getting into trouble, she spends more time in hospital than she does at home"

"Nothing serious I hope" Adair said in concern, to Nikki he seemed less hateful towards her than the night before and than the other men she had met.

"No" Nikki shook her head quickly "Harry worries"

"Here we are" came Alistair's voice from in front of them and Harry and Nikki turned to look at the farm in front of them "My family are in town so there will be no interruptions, especially from my son, it was a shock for him you understand"

"Of course" Nikki nodded then realised that she had spoken out of turn when Alec shot her a look. Harry saw and frowned at the man.

"Would you not look at _my_ wife like that" he said forcibly and Alec flushed slightly "If you have any problems with her then talk to me and I will sort her out later"

Alec didn't say anything but turned away and missed the apologetic look Harry gave Nikki as they walked through the farm gates.

"It's just round the back" Alistair told them and led them through a muddy field and Nikki was glad she had worn trainers and not her usual boots. She knew Harry would have teased her relentlessly if she had and she wouldn't be able to do or say anything with those other men around.

'Damn male dominance' she thought as she glared at the backs of all four men who were all walking in front of her.

"Here we go" Alistair motioned to a low metal gate and opened it for them to walk through, Harry held it open for Nikki who just glared at him when he grinned at her. Alistair then led them up a stony path and pointed to a patch of grass which looked like it had been moved, Harry and Nikki could spot various places around that spot where the ground had been disturbed.

"There are two bodies in the grave that my son found" Alistair told them and Harry nodded as he and Nikki walked past the other men and crouched down next to the mound of earth. Nikki reached over and went to pull the flap of mud from over one of the bodies when Alec's voice rang out.

"Dr Cunningham, you are letting your wife make the first move?" both pathologists turned to look at him "A woman? It's bad enough that she is as qualified as you"

"Well where we come from...." Nikki started angrily and Harry quickly clamped his hand over her mouth and sent her a mock glare which the other men mistook for anger.

"Be quite" he mumbled and she glared at him as he looked at the Scotsmen "I'm sorry, Nikki seems to think she can say what she is thinking, I've been trying to undo the habit for years it's always getting her into trouble"

Nikki rolled her eyes and turned away from them so they didn't see her smile.

"You may use my van to escort the bodies if you wish" Alistair was saying and pulled out a key from his pocket. Harry nodded his thanks when he took it and turned to Adair when the elderly man started to speak.

"You may use our hospital for all your...purposes" they knew he meant autopsies "It is small but has a morgue of course, just because we are all the way up here doesn't mean we don't die" he chuckled at his own little joke and his son rolled his eyes at his father "We will leave you to your work, if you need us then call from the landline in Alistair's house"

"Myself and my family will be staying in the town until you have finished up here" Alistair explained "Please feel free to use my house as you will"

"Thank you" Harry replied and the three Scottish men turned and walked down the way they had just come. He then turned to Nikki who was opening their metal cases with all their equipment in and placed the bag which had the folded up body bags on the floor next to her "Are you ready for me to start?" he asked cheekily and laughed loudly when Nikki gave him the finger.

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**How amazing was Merlin last night? There was Merlin/Morgana, Merlin/Arthur Morgana/Uther (yeah right does he thinks of her as a daughter XD)...I just ship everybody with everybody in that show. XD**

**xxx**


	6. Chapter 6

"I've got a male...no wait two males and a female over here" Harry called from behind Nikki where he was crouched about two meters away from her at an open grave that he had carefully dug away. Nikki was crouched down next to the grave that Alistair's young son had found and looked at the two slightly decomposing bodies. One was male and the other female and she relayed this information to Harry and then looked back down at the town below them.

"It's hard to imagine that none of the residents saw anything" he called over to Harry "I mean it's not like it's busy and the killer can use the crowds to cover themselves up, and what about Alistair, oh sorry should I say _Mr Boyd_, he should have seen something it's at the back of his own bloody field"

"Not getting annoyed are we _my dear_?" Harry smirked as Nikki turned to look at him "All this male dominance must be really annoying you"

"You know it bloody well is" Nikki snapped at him, she didn't mean to, she knew he was joking but it still annoyed her. Harry didn't seem to take her tone to heart but smiled slightly at her before turning back to the bodies in front of him.

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"Well that was hard work" Harry moaned as he leant on the side of Alistair's van, he and Nikki having just loaded the last of the bodies after hours of digging them up "You know it's going to be hard, this case I mean, we don't have our proper equipment or the backup of the police if anything goes wrong"

"Well I like a challenge" Nikki shrugged as she closed the van door "Come on quickly before they decompose even more" she held her hand out to Harry "Key"

"Excuse me?" Harry asked as he raised an eyebrow "I'm not sure they" he motioned with his head towards the town below them "Would be happy to see you driving"

Nikki let out an exasperated groan and stomped moodily to the passenger side of the van as Harry smirked smugly.

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"At least they have decent morgue facilities" Nikki moaned as both her and Harry walked into their temporary home after performing three of the five bodies "I suppose that's something"

"You just hate the fact that I have power over you" Harry laughed at the look on Nikki's face as she poked her tongue out at him, too tired for any comeback "Oh very adult"

"Oh go away" she whined "I'm tired"

"Well go to bed then" Harry pointed to the stairs "I'll join you soon"

Nikki flushed slightly at his words and turned to look behind her at the clock on the wall to hide this from Harry, it was almost half past eleven.

"Don't be long then" Nikki replied eventually as she turned to look at her best friend who she realised was standing very close to her, completely ignoring the rest of the space in the hallway they were standing in.

"Yes dear" Harry said sarcastically and Nikki just sighed and walked past him, she could feel his eyes on her all the way up the stairs.

Nikki was already laying in the dark when Harry walked into the bedroom, he seemed to think she was asleep as he didn't put the night on and crept around the room quietly. Nikki heard him pull his t-shirt off and had to stop the images that flew into her mind. Harry then walked through to the bathroom to brush his teeth and then back into the bedroom and climbed into bed. The memory of the position they had woken up in jumped to the front of Nikki's mind and she once again felt herself flushing, she didn't think she had blushed so much in her life, no man had ever made her blush as much as Harry did and he didn't even try. What Harry did next shocked Nikki so much she didn't know what to do, he leant over and in the dark pressed a kiss onto the top of her head still thinking that she was asleep, he then turned over and lay down leaving Nikki with a smile on her face as she fell asleep.

* * *

**As I was asked nicely here is another chapter, sorry it's so short. I'm working on the next few as we speak so I dunno when they will be up.**

**xxx**


	7. Chapter 7

The next morning when Nikki woke up she was somewhat relieved to find that she wasn't draped over Harry, however her relief was short lived when she felt Harry close behind her and felt his arm around her waist draped over her stomach. Her eyes flew open and she turned her head slightly to glance at Harry, she didn't know how many more mornings she could take waking up like this without grabbing Harry and kissing him senseless. Harry groaned slightly and opened his eyes when he felt Nikki watching him and gave her a smile before he noticed their position.

"This is getting to be a bit of a habit" he said seriously but Nikki could see the corners of his mouth twitching slightly but he didn't move to correct their position, Nikki thought he was just doing it to make her feel uncomfortable, Harry knew he was doing it just so he could be this close to Nikki.

"It's like we do it on purpose" Nikki muttered as she moved slightly so she was laying on her back, Harry still hadn't moved his arm as he looked down at her. "Do you want to move?"

"Do you want me to move?" Harry asked cheekily and Nikki gaped at him before pushing his arm off her so it flopped down onto the bed, Harry pouted.

"You are such a child" Nikki laughed, trying to move away from where the other conversation was headed. She swung her legs over the side of the bed and then stood up and opened the curtains wide causing Harry to wince and moan.

"You know you are very lucky" Harry told Nikki as he too climbed out of bed with some difficulty and moaning.

"Why?" Nikki asked suspiciously as Harry walked to the bedroom door, this gave Nikki a chance to run her eyes over his naked back but turned away quickly when he turned around to look at her.

"Because I normally sleep naked" he said simply and then walked out of the room. Nikki's mind betrayed her as images popped to the front of her mind that she didn't want, not that she minded, but it was improper to think of her friend like that, she felt her cheeks heating up and wondered how she would be able to get back into bed with him without those images coming back. It then struck her that she didn't know whether he was lying or not.

A few hours later and the two pathologists were walking along the cobbled streets towards the small hospital that they were based in. They walked by a house that had its door open and a woman poked her head out and called to them. She had short brown hair, was quite plump and had dark brown eyes.

"Are you the two doctors who we asked for?" she asked them, her Scottish accent not as strong as the others Harry and Nikki had heard.

"Now what have I told you about bothering Dr Cunningham?" came Alec's voice from behind her and the woman flushed slightly, in anger Nikki recognised, and turned back to the man behind her.

"I apologise" she nodded and glanced back at Nikki "I was taken to believe that..."

"Nikki Ale...Cunningham" Nikki told her and let the woman continue

"I was taken to believe that Mrs Cunningham is also a doctor" the woman told her husband who shot a loathing look at Nikki making Harry reach out and drape his arm over her shoulder, Nikki automatically moved close to him and Harry found himself playing gently with a strand of her hair, he stopped at once and hoped Nikki hadn't notice. Nikki however had but didn't say anything, quite disappointed when she felt Harry stop.

"A woman? A doctor?" Alec sneered "It's unheard of"

"She was a doctor before I met her" Harry cut in, hoping to spare Nikki some embarrassment and anger "I told her to stop but she refused, said she would when she had children"

Alec only nodded and turned to what Harry and Nikki assumed was his wife.

"I'll see you later"

"Right" was all the woman said and let him pass her, she then turned to Nikki "Would you like a drink? Your husband must be busy with all the work he is doing"

Nikki knew this woman knew that she was also helping with the autopsies and sensed something else about the woman, something she couldn't quite put her finger on.

"Nikki also helps..." Harry started but Nikki cut him off and gave him a smile causing him to gulp slightly.

"No _darling_ you always say that I hinder your work" Nikki told him deviously and Harry knew what she was doing "You should finish the last two on your own while I have a chat with..."

"Arabella" the woman informed her

"Arabella, I'm sure you will be fine"

"But..." Harry suddenly looked quite lost and Nikki almost felt sorry for him "Fine, just make sure you write up my reports, properly this time I have to say. The last batch was unacceptable and my boss was fuming" with that he turned and walked off down the road leaving Nikki with a satisfied smirk on her face as she turned to Arabella.

"Please come in" Arabella stepped away from the cottage door and Nikki followed her into the spacious home "Tea?"

"Yes please" Nikki nodded as she took her coat off and hung it on the peg instructed by the friendly woman who was just walking into the kitchen "just milk please"

"So how long have you been married?" Arabella asked Nikki as they sat in her living room drinking their tea

"Five years" Nikki replied automatically "What about you and Alec?"

"Three years" Arabella replied then sighed "Worst mistake of my life" Nikki heard her mumble to herself "But I can tell that you aren't the meek humble woman that you are pretending to be"

Nikki blushed slightly and shrugged as she sipped the scalding drink in her hand.

"I don't like being told what to do" Nikki informed the woman who was sitting across from her who grinned "Especially by men"

"Well that makes two of us" Arabella laughed "Well more than us two actually"

"Sorry?" Nikki asked, confused but the brown haired woman shook her head and waved Nikki's question off.

--------------

"Where have you been all day?" Harry asked as he walked into their temporary home to find Nikki sitting in the kitchen reading a book. She looked up from her page and looked Harry over before turning back to it.

"With Arabella" she replied noncommittally "We spent the whole time chatting"

"You were meant to come and help me" Harry whined "I just performed two autopsies on decomposing men"

Nikki smirked, not looking away from her book all the time Harry was talking.

"Yes I can smell" she giggled and heard Harry groan in frustration and walk out of the room, she looked up and watched him walk away from her and grinned, glad that she had wound him up.

* * *

**Sneaky!Nikki is sneaky. XD. I've worked out that Silent Witness may start in the UK on the 1st November, lets hope so.**

**xxx**


	8. Chapter 8

Nikki was rummaging through the wardrobe looking for a warm jumper as it had suddenly turned chilly out, she heard a noise behind her and turned slightly so see Harry walk into the bedroom, then she did a double take. He was standing at his wardrobe which was on the other side of the room with just a towel wrapped around his waist, quite low on his waist Nikki observed, and she saw that his back was still dripping with water. She felt her face grow warm when she wondered what his chest was like wet and turned around to look in her wardrobe again as she tried to push those images away from the front of her mind. Nikki didn't believe in a God but if there was one, she thought, he was doing a damn good job of messing with her mind.

"Shower's free if you want one" came Harry's voice from behind her and Nikki turned slightly to see him staring at her. Her eyes flicked down to his wet chest and she swallowed heavily before nodding, completely missing the smirk on Harry's face as he saw where she was looking.

"Right" Nikki nodded again as she looked up at his face with some difficulty "I'll just.." she motioned towards the door, completely forgetting why she was in the bedroom in the first place. Harry's smirk grew as she practically ran out of the room, he laughed quietly to himself and let the towel drop to the floor, in his mind he unashamedly hoped that Nikki would walk back in.

Nikki walked as quickly as she could into the bathroom and shut the door behind her before turning around and leaning against it breathing heavily. She was going to get Leo back for all this suffering, albeit worth it for seeing a half naked wet Harry, but all Nikki could think of was that Leo was doing this to torture her. It didn't cross her mind that Leo didn't know they had to share a house, or even a bed, and that Harry would walk around half naked after showers. Nikki cursed Leo with all her being and glared at the still steamed up shower in front of her as she tried to block the images of Harry in it out of her mind. Suddenly her mobile rang and she pulled it out of her pocket with a frown on her face, she didn't even think there was enough signal up here. She saw one of her friends, Emily Smith, was calling her.

"Hello" she said as she answered the phone, eager to talk to someone other than Harry and the male chauvinists, not that they did talk to her but that wasn't the point.

"_Nikki darling how are you?" _came Emily's happy voice down the phone and Nikki groaned in response _"What's up hun?"_

"Well let's just say I am in Scotland, in the middle of no-where on a case that probably will come to nothing, sharing a room with my best friend who also happens to be male and said male is currently in said room in just a towel" Nikki replied dryly

"_Ah you have it bad then" _Emily replied and Nikki rolled her eyes and slid down the bathroom door so she was sitting on the floor.

"He just swans into the bedroom without a care in the world wearing nothing but a towel" Nikki hissed at her friend "I mean if the towel was any lower then there wouldn't have been any reason to wear one"

"_Not having dirty thoughts are you Nik?" _Emily laughed loudly and Nikki flushed as the images flew back to the front of her mind.

"No"

"_Liar"_ her friend giggled _"Was he still wet?"_

"Stop being a bitch and shut up" Nikki replied but Emily knew she was joking and just laughed even louder "Okay yes he was still wet and...damn you for bringing up those images again"

"_Aww I'm sorry Nikki, actually no I'm not, but I was just ringing to see if you were available for a night out, obviously not" _Emily told Nikki who groaned _"Well then, enjoy your trip, love you"_

"Yeah love you" Nikki replied dryly "Don't know why though"

"_See you soon"_

Emily then hung up leaving Nikki with the dial tone in her ear, closing her eyes she pressed the disconnect button and leant her head back against the door. Her friends were so unsympathetic sometimes.

------

"God I'm so bored" Nikki whined as she and Harry sat in the living room later that evening, Harry was at his laptop writing up the reports, Nikki had flatly refused to do them for him, and was sitting on the sofa trying to read her book "You know a friend of mine called me earlier to ask if I wanted to go out tonight, but _no_, I am stuck up here in the middle of no-where with nothing to do"

Harry just rolled his eyes and went back to his reports.

"You could help me with these" he motioned to the screen and Nikki snorted

"Do them yourself I'm going to bed" with that she stood up and walked out of the room leaving Harry alone. He glared at the laptop screen, even his ploy of walking into the bedroom half-naked and still wet from a shower didn't work on her, he wondered if she even wanted him like he wanted her. He had his doubts now and slammed the laptop lid down violently and sat back on his chair, his arms folded as he started to sulk.

* * *

**Only had one lesson today so I thought I'd come home and add another chapter. XD. I may even upload two if you're lucky.**

**xxx**


	9. Chapter 9

The next morning Nikki was up before Harry and she gently extracted herself from under his arm, which was slung over her waist, without waking him and padded quietly to the bathroom. Stepping into the shower she let the warm water run over her body and took a deep breath trying to ready herself for the day ahead which would probably entail running around after Harry and bowing down to his every whim. Fifteen minutes later she climbed out of the shower and wrapped a towel around her, her long blonde hair dripping down her back. She heard the bathroom door click open and Harry opened the door wide as he strolled in, she had forgotten to lock the door. Harry stopped instantly as he saw Nikki standing in the middle of the bathroom clad in only a towel, and a small one at that. His eyes wandered down her body and Nikki grinned inwardly when she saw him do it, any other man would have got a slap for looking at her the way Harry was but Nikki found she didn't care.

"Um...sorry" was all Harry said but didn't move from the door way to let Nikki pass. Nikki's eyes flicked quickly to his naked chest then back to his face.

"That's alright" Nikki shrugged trying to even her voice out, it wasn't every day she was practically naked in front of Harry and she was going to make the most of it "Payback for yesterday"

"Right..yes" Harry nodded and Nikki saw him glance down at her once again, Harry found himself very glad that he had decided to put baggy jogging bottoms on the night before.

"Bathroom is all yours" Nikki grinned as she walked past him and placed a hand on his shoulder "There's still cold water left"

She walked back to the bedroom with a large smile on her face leaving Harry to groan and lean heavily against the bathroom wall, he felt himself relieved that Nikki wasn't disgusted or scared by his reaction to her.

Nikki sat on the bed with a large grin on her face as she thought about Harry's reaction to her in the bathroom, she knew it was only the typical male reaction to a half naked woman in front of them but it pleased her that she had caused his reaction. Drying herself she slipped on a pair of jeans and had just put her bra on when Harry walked into the room, Nikki sighed to herself, three times in less than a day they had seen each other half-naked and there wasn't even anything fun involved. Harry gave her another look over before dumping his jogging bottoms on the bed, he was, unfortunately, already dressed. Nikki looked down at herself and then looked back at Harry who was just staring at her, he didn't seem embarrassed that he had been caught staring.

"We have to stop doing this" he joked and Nikki gave him a reluctant smile in return. She turned away to pick out a top and felt Harry walk over to her and tensed slightly as she felt him place his arms on her shoulders "You're beautiful" he whispered into her ear before pressing a kiss onto her cheek and then walking out of the room leaving Nikki unable to breathe.

-------

"I'm going for a walk this morning" Harry told Nikki when she walked into the kitchen, there were already two steaming mugs of coffee on the table. Harry didn't look up from his laptop in front of him when he continued "Do you want to come?"

"What about work?"

"It can wait" Harry replied simply as Nikki seated herself opposite him, her cheek still burning from the kiss.

"I'd like a walk" Nikki nodded and gave Harry a smile as he looked up at her and grinned.

"I'm sorry you know" Harry said suddenly half an hour later when they were walking along the side of the river that flowed next to the town, Nikki looked up at him and frowned "For being horrible to you in front of the other men, I know friends are meant to stick up for each other no matter what..."

"Harry it's fine" Nikki laughed as she interrupted "I know you don't mean it"

"Good" was all Harry said as he glanced towards the river, it was running quite slowly and the water was crystal clear "About this morning in the bathroom..I didn't mean.." he stopped and bit his lip as he looked up at her.

"Didn't mean what Harry?" Nikki asked quietly "You didn't say much"

Harry stopped walking suddenly but Nikki kept on walking ahead of him, trying to ignore the sinking feeling in her stomach as she heard Harry apologise for what happened in the bathroom.

"My reaction" Harry coughed out and Nikki stopped walking when she heard this, knowing what reaction he was talking about.

"It's alright" she shrugged without looking at him "It's just a typical male reaction"

"I don't..."

Nikki heard Harry's feet crunch on the road behind her and took a deep breath when she felt him, for the second time that day, right behind her.

"You really are beautiful Nikki" Harry whispered into her ear and she turned to him this time and allowed him to kiss her on the lips. Nikki brought her hands to his shoulders and gripped them tightly as Harry backed her into a conveniently placed tree behind her and tried to deepen the kiss, which Nikki allowed him to do. He then broke away from her and looked into her eyes for her reaction, she just smiled at him and Harry smiled back and pressed a kiss onto her forehead before resting his forehead there. "You know it took all of my self control not to just grab you and take you there and then in the bathroom" he told her quietly and Nikki giggled loudly.

"Maybe later" she whispered in his ear and pressed a kiss onto his cheek as Harry raised an eyebrow at her causing Nikki to giggle, she then took his hand in hers and entwined their fingers before they continued on their walk.

* * *

**Yeah it took me nine chapters to get them to kiss..I just couldn't wait any longer. XD**

**xxx**


	10. Chapter 10

"So they all died from a blow to the head" Nikki stated as Harry explained the results of the autopsies, she stared down at the bodies in front of them "At around the same time"

"Yes" Harry murmured as he walked up behind Nikki and wrapped his arms around her waist before pressing kisses onto her neck "Maybe we should just leave work for the day and go back to the house"

"Harry!" Nikki chided but made no attempt to move from his arms, she just turned her head to look at him "We've only been here an hour"

Harry pouted before seeing the stubborn look on Nikki's face and sighed.

"Alright then"

"And anyway I'm going to Arabella's tonight" she told Harry noncommittally as he walked off towards the body at the end of the morgue. He stopped in his tracks and looked back at Nikki as she gave him a small knowing smile.

"What?" he asked quietly and Nikki giggled to herself at the look on his face as he walked back over to her.

"I'm going to Arabella's..." she was cut off by his lips covering hers and she readily allowed him to deepen the kiss as she wrapped her arms around his neck and ran one hand through his hair.

"No..you're..not" Harry told her through the kiss and Nikki broke the kiss to look up at him

"Are you telling me what to do Dr Cunningham?" she asked and Harry gave her a grin which made her heart jump in her chest.

"Male dominance" was all he said before capturing her lips again, Nikki found she didn't mind him using that excuse.

------

"You know the chances are that the murderer is actually someone in the village" Nikki told Harry later on as they walked hand in hand from the morgue back to their temporary home "I mean someone should have noticed someone new up here dragging a load of dead bodies up that nasty hill"

"It's only nasty because you are unfit" Harry replied completely ignoring Nikki's hypothesis in favour of teasing her.

"I am not unfit" Nikki shot back "at least I get up at a normal time in the morning and not some god awful hour to go jogging"

"Hey I have to keep fit" Harry practically whined and Nikki grinned as she looked up at him with a smirk on her face.

"Well there is one form of exercise that could be fun" she giggled and Harry looked down at her and raised an eyebrow, his pace quickened slightly.

As soon as they walked into the house Harry pushed Nikki up against the hallway wall and kissed her passionately. His hands ran down her sides and up the front of her blouse as hers settled on his shoulders. The clock in the living room chimed just as Harry was starting to unbutton Nikki's blouse and she pulled away from him, both of them breathing heavily. Nikki reached up and pushed his hands away and did the buttons up again as Harry frowned and shook his head in confusion.

"Nikki what...?"

Nikki gave him a sly grin as she pulled her coat back on her shoulders and leant up to kiss him again.

"I told you I'm going to Arabella's"

"Yes but.." Harry stuttered "I thought..what am I going to do about this?"

He motioned unashamedly to his crotch and Nikki moved closer to him causing him to groan and start to kiss her neck while she leant up and whispered in his ear.

"I thought men were good at D.I.Y"

She then walked out of the house leaving a very flustered Harry behind her in the hallway.

"Cheeky little minx" Harry hissed and opened the front door, he stepped into the street and saw Nikki stop when she heard this, he missed the smirk on her face and the shiver of anticipation that ran up her body "You come back here Nikki" he shouted down the street and Nikki's smirk grew but she wiped it off her face when she turned to look at him innocently "Now"

"I'm sorry _my love_ but I have business at Arabella's"

"You have business here" Harry countered as he strode forward and grabbed Nikki's hand in his and to anyone watching it would have looked like he dragged her into the house, none of them saw the grin on Nikki's face as he did so "You" Harry said to Nikki as he pushed her up against the wall and devoured her lips again "Are...a cheeky..minx..and you..are going to..get what's..coming to..you" he told her through the kiss and this time he felt her shiver with anticipation and realised what she had done.

"You did that on purpose" Harry whispered as he broke away to look Nikki in the eye "Making me come out and drag you back in"

"I have no idea what you're talking about" Nikki replied innocently but Harry saw a gleam in her eyes and realised why she had done it, he chuckled under his breath.

"You like domineering males" he stated and Nikki blushed slightly but shook her head vigorously Harry still pinning her up against the wall "Yes you do"

"You know I don't" Nikki replied with some difficulty stringing words together with Harry pressed up against her.

"Ah you don't like them in the streets, at work, at home..." he paused and pressed a kiss onto her lips and drew back slightly "In bed on the other hand..." he let the sentence hang and saw Nikki's eyes darken slightly as he kissed her again.

------

"You know.." Harry muttered as he kissed his way along Nikki's naked collar bone "For someone who is..very..domineering..in life..you are..very..very..submissive..in..bed" he told her through the small kisses and Nikki squirmed at his words, she hated them because they were true.

"Shut up" Nikki hissed out as Harry ran his hand down her side and rested it on her hip. Harry pretended to think for a minute then shook his head.

"No I don't think I will" he grinned and leant down to kiss her on the lips this time "I didn't think I would ever hear you beg as much as you did" he mumbled against her lips and Nikki drew in a deep breath as his hand settled on the thigh "I am wondering if it was just a one time thing" Harry then captured her lips in a passionate kiss and preceded to work on his hypothesis.

* * *

**Yeah I had to have dominant!Harry in bed...wait that sounded weird XD....anyway..yeah...I thought Nikki might be compensating for something, with her being all strong and domineering in life and all.**

**xxx**


	11. Chapter 11

"Arabella I am so sorry about last night" Nikki apologised as she stood on the other woman's doorstep, Arabella just gave her a smile and a nod "It's just Harry and I we..um.." she realised she had said too much when the other woman started to chuckle and shake her head.

"It's understandable" she laughed "I saw anyway"

"Excuse me?" Nikki choked out "Saw what?"

"Harry dragging you back into the house" Arabella's eyes darkened slightly "You did consent didn't you ?"

"Of course" Nikki nodded 'Very much so' she thought "Harry wouldn't do anything to me without my consent" 'Quite annoying really'

"That's good" Arabella replied and smiled at Nikki "You'll be pregnant in no time if you keep that up"

Nikki's smile faded and her heart sunk into her stomach when she heard this.

"Nikki are you alright?"

"Yeah I'm fine" Nikki nodded absentmindedly and looked behind her "Look I have to go, Harry wants those reports done today"

"Will we see you in the pub tonight?" Arabella called after her as Nikki backed away and the blonde woman nodded and waved to her as she walked away.

Nikki tried to stop the feeling of rising dread as she thought about what Arabella had said, she remembered that her and Harry hadn't used anything. Well it wasn't like they thought they were going to do anything with anyone all the way up here so nothing was prepared and Nikki wasn't on anything either. She ran her hand through her hair, she knew there was no way on earth that the pharmacy up here would sell the morning after pill either, they had clear views on things like that. Nikki pushed it to the back of her mind, she wouldn't worry Harry with anything as trivial as her worries and she knew there was only a small chance of her getting pregnant. 'There's still a chance' she thought to herself but pushed the thought away again, she wasn't about to ruin anything she had with Harry just because of a silly comment.

"Hello" Harry greeted as her as she walked into the morgue "Did she understand?"

"Of course" Nikki smiled and nodded "She saw anyway"

"Saw what?" Harry asked as he looked up from his notes to his lover who was unbuttoning her coat a pointed look on her face "Oh, me dragging you into the house" he realised then grinned at the memory of the night before "I think everyone with a house around there saw, but I think _Alec _will be pleased that I am keeping you in line"

"I'm sure he will" Nikki nodded and looked away from Harry and to the notes in his hands and she walked over to him. Harry placed his arm around her shoulder and pulled her closer to him as she read the results in his hands. He pressed a small kiss onto her shoulder and Nikki sighed contentedly. "I don't think this is what Leo intended us to do"

"Ah well we have him to thank actually" Harry shrugged "Without him sending us to this God forsaken place in the middle of no-where we wouldn't have sorted ourselves out"

"Maybe" Nikki shrugged but said no more

"What's wrong?" Harry asked automatically and Nikki shook her head and looked up at him giving him a smile and a kiss.

"Nothing" she replied

"Don't lie to me Nikki please" Harry sighed "I know when there's something wrong, was it last night? Do you regret it?"

"No!" Nikki replied loudly and shook her head gripping Harry's shirt in her hands "No Harry I don't regret anything we did last night I promise, I'm just tired that's all"

Harry looked her over for a few seconds then nodded slightly and gave her a kiss.

"If you're sure" he mumbled and Nikki nodded in confirmation "Come on I want to look at the scene again"

"Up that hill?" Nikki whined, their conversation immediately forgotten "I think you should carry me"

"I think you shouldn't be so lazy" Harry countered as he held Nikki's coat up for her and helped her to put it on before pressing a kiss to her neck "You are looking extremely beautiful today"

Nikki blushed and looked away from him as he took her hand in his and lead her out of the morgue.

"You told me that this morning"

"Well I'm telling you again"

When they exited the building they turned left and started to walk down the deserted street and towards the farm. They stopped suddenly when they saw a small child of about five or six standing in the street crying. Nikki's heart melted slightly as she walked cautiously over to the little boy and crouched down in front of him.

"Hello" she whispered and he looked up at her with large tearful brown eyes "Where's your mummy?"

The little boy shrugged and blinked, letting more tears run down his face before he launched himself into Nikki's arms and she automatically wrapped them around him trying to comfort him. Behind her, Harry's throat constricted when he saw this and he marvelled at what a great mother she would be. He cleared his throat and pushed those images away as he looked back down the street trying to avoid looking at the scene in front of him.

"What's your name?" Nikki asked the young boy softly and he sniffed and moved away from her but not out of her arms.

"Ronnie" he whispered and Nikki had to strain to hear him "and I'm five" he held up four fingers to Nikki who chuckled and shook her head. She reached up to correct him and held up her hand showing five fingers.

"This is five sweetheart"

Ronnie looked at his own hand where he only had four fingers up and then corrected himself and showed Nikki who ruffled his thick brown hair and nodded.

"Clever boy"

"Who are you?" Ronnie asked, his fears of being lost all gone, he liked Nikki.

"I'm Nikki" Nikki told him and the young boy grinned.

"That's a pretty name" he mumbled and looked at the ground as he shuffled his feet "Who's that?" he asked as he looked up again and pointed at Harry.

"That's Harry" Nikki explained as he glanced at Harry who had a look on his face she couldn't name as he looked at them both "He's my husband" she found the lie was getting easier now "We're on holiday. Now where's your mummy?"

Ronnie shrugged and pointed in the direction that Harry and Nikki were headed.

"Shall we go and find her?" Nikki asked and Ronnie nodded and moved closer to Nikki and wrapped his arms around her neck, Nikki took this as a sign that he wanted to be carried and stood up, unsteady at first but Harry moved forward and steadied her before looking away again. Ronnie lay his head on Nikki's shoulder and looked at Harry as they started to walk.

"Hello" the little boy grinned and Harry smiled at the five year old trying not to wish that it was their son that Nikki was carrying. Harry knew this was bad territory to stray in to, they had only just become lovers, it wouldn't do to think about things like children but he found he couldn't help it.

"Hello" Harry replied "You know you are very lucky to have Nikki at the moment"

"Why?" the boy asked and Harry smiled at Ronnie's inquisitiveness

"Because" Harry whispered and leant closer to him as though telling Ronnie a great big secret "Nikki is a very kind woman and is going to make a brilliant mummy one day"

He thought he heard Nikki draw in a sharp breath but shook it off as his imagination.

"Ronnie?" came a woman's voice as they turned the corner and Ronnie looked up from Nikki's shoulder and grinned at a brown haired woman who had just come out of a house down the street, she was about Nikki's age and height and as they got closer they could see she had light blue eyes.

"Mummy" Ronnie grinned and Nikki put him on the floor and let the boy run to his mother, she felt Harry slip one arm around her waist and moved closer to him.

"Ronnie what have I told you about running off like that?" his mother scolded him as she leant down and pulled him into a hug, both pathologists could see the relieved look on her face as she did so.

"I'm sorry mummy" Ronnie muttered but then brightened up as he pointed to Harry and Nikki "That's Nikki and that's Harry, they found me and Harry said that Nikki is going to be a brilliant mummy one day and can they come in and have a drink because..."

"Calm down Ronnie" his mother laughed and looked back at Harry and Nikki then held her hand out to Nikki who shook it "Thank you for finding him, he always runs off"

"That's alright" Nikki smiled and the woman turned to Harry

"Oh I'm sorry sir" she added diverting her eyes away from his face but Nikki heard a touch of sarcasm in her voice when she said 'sir' "Forgive me for not introducing myself, I'm Lileas. Would you come in for a drink?"

Nikki opened her mouth to reply but Harry cut her off.

"I'm sorry but we must be getting back, we have a case on. We're the pathologists from London" he motioned with his head towards the farm up ahead "Investigating what was found up there"

"Oh I am sorry" Lileas apologised "I didn't know you were working"

"Well I am" Harry shrugged noncommittally "I just bring Nikki wherever I go, she's a beautiful woman as you can see and many men have tried to take her from me" he reached down and grabbed Nikki's hand as she glared at him, both knowing she couldn't do anything, as who they perceived was Lileas' husband came to the door "Well we must be off, I have lots of work to do"

"Thank you for finding Ronnie" the man said to Harry, completely ignoring Nikki as they started to walk down the road.

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**I recorded the Alan Titschmarsh show on thursday so I will be watching that today...lets hope there is something about Silent Witness on there.**

**xxx**


	12. Chapter 12

"I hate having to dumb myself down" Nikki moaned as they reached the gate to the upper field where the bodies were found "I didn't go through school and university, studying for a medical degree and getting through the whole prejudice of a woman as a pathologist just to come up here and get ignored like...."

Harry cut off her ranting by covering her lips with his own. He drew back and held the gate open for her to walk through.

"It's not for long" he reminded her and Nikki just shrugged and walked through the gate. A loud ringing cut through the silence and both Harry and Nikki looked around, confused for a second before Nikki dug into her pocket for her mobile "I'm surprised we have signal"

Nikki just shrugged and answered the phone when she saw it was Leo calling.

"Hello Leo" she greeted their friend as she and Harry kept walking up the side of the hill and in the direction of the burial site "How are you coping without us?"

"_Well it's very quiet" _Leo replied _"and there's a lot less arguing and banter going on. How's it going up there?"_

"Well we have five bodies" Nikki explained "All seemed to have died from blunt force trauma to the head and I don't think we will ever find out who did it"

"_Why not?" _Leo asked, he had every faith in their abilities and it wasn't like Nikki to say she couldn't do something.

"Because we don't have our proper lab equipment and the nearest police station is about two hours from here so we don't have the back up of the police" Nikki told her older friend "Why are we even here in the first place?"

"_Because the powers that be insist that we co-operate with the town and the people there" _

"They don't even know the people" Nikki replied loudly "Harry and I went round showing them pictures of the five victims and no-one knew them. And I know you're going to say that they are probably lying but we could both tell that they weren't"

"_Okay fine, just keep on going and I'll have a talk with the home office"_

"Thank you Leo" Nikki cheered and Leo chuckled down the phone

"_How is the accommodation?" _

This made Nikki think for a second, Leo didn't need to know that she and Harry were sharing a bed, not at that moment any way.

"Um...it's nice. We have a house to ourselves"

"_I bet that's as close as Harry's going to get to living with a woman for a long period of time" _Leo joked but it hurt Nikki to hear that said and glanced at Harry who looked back at her and gave her a smile which she returned hesitantly.

"You're probably right" Nikki agreed with Leo but her heart jumped sadly when she said this, she knew it was true though, Harry wasn't much for commitment "Look one of us will call you later on, we're just getting to the crime scene"

"_Okay Nikki thank you"_ Leo replied _"Have fun"_

Leo then hung up and Nikki shook her head as she put her phone back in her pocket.

"Yeah" she mumbled quietly and looked up just as Harry held his hand out for her. A smile graced her face as she reached up and took it, Harry entwining their fingers as she did so.

"How's Leo?" he asked and Nikki shrugged and looked away from him as they walked along the path.

"He's alright, he said it's very quite without us"

Harry chuckled and nodded, he knew something was wrong with Nikki, she wasn't looking at him and was gripping his hand very hard.

"I'm sure it is" Harry nodded and grinned at her "You're not there to boss everyone around"

Nikki gave him a withering look but this just made Harry laugh louder.

"I do not"

"Yes you do" Harry argued and Nikki glared at him and turned away with a huff but Harry could tell she was joking.

"I should move up here" Nikki moaned as they finally got to the crime scene after their hike "I'd lose so much weight"

"You don't need to lose any" Harry replied, confused as to why she had said that "You're perfect the way you are"

Nikki blushed slightly and looked away from him, no man had ever told her that but she liked to hear it from Harry.

"Thank you" she mumbled and Harry leant over and pressed a kiss onto her lips before turning and looking back at the town below them with a sigh.

"We need to get the police involved" Harry informed her "But if they are as closed off as these are then it's going to be hard"

"Maybe I can add them to my queue of men waiting for me" Nikki suggested seriously and she laughed loudly when Harry spun around to look at her with a shocked look on his face "I was joking Harry don't worry"

"Well you are all mine now" he informed her as he wrapped his arms around her waist and preceded to kiss her senseless "You're going to have to tell the rest to bugger off"

"We can't keep doing this at work" Nikki whispered as she broke the kiss "All this kissing and cuddling"

"Well we'll save it up for the evenings then" Harry shrugged and Nikki gave him a wide grin and slapped him on the chest.

"Who says I will want to see you in the evenings after working all day with you"

"Maybe the fact that you can't get enough of me in bed" Harry whispered into her neck causing her to shiver involuntarily as he walked off again.

------------

"Right so I've asked Adair to give the nearest police a call, which happens to be about forty five minutes away from here" Harry told Nikki later that evening as they sat around after eating dinner "They said they will come either tomorrow or the next day but there isn't much we can do until then"

Nikki just made a noise in the back of her throat to show Harry she had been listening but didn't look up from the book she was reading, well pretending to be reading, Harry had noticed that she had been on the same page for fifteen minutes.

"Okay what's wrong?" Harry asked as he sat himself next to Nikki on the sofa, Nikki didn't reply so he sighed and plucked the book out of her hands and threw it on the coffee table causing Nikki to protest loudly "You weren't even reading it properly now what's wrong?"

"We haven't been using anything" Nikki mumbled as she bit her lip and Harry had to think about what she was going on about.

"Oh" he rolled his eyes when he figured it out "That was probably my fault"

"Why?" Nikki asked slowly and shook her head

"Well I'm the male I should think about things like that" Harry shrugged and looked away "I mean you think about the pill don't you?"

"That's the thing Harry" Nikki replied quietly "I ran out just before we came up here and I thought I wouldn't need any so I didn't get any more" she looked away from Harry and out of the window, it was only half past six but it was already pitch black outside.

"We..you..we haven't been using anything?" Harry asked and Nikki shook her head and bit her lip, she knew Harry would hate her for that "God Nikki"

"I know" Nikki shook her head and tried to blink away her tears "I'm sorry" she then stood up and walked out of the room leaving Harry alone with his thoughts.

She slammed the bedroom door open and it swung back and hit the wall before bouncing back and slamming shut again. Nikki started to sob as she climbed onto the bed and buried her face in her pillow, she was scared that Harry would leave her because he didn't want commitment, or a child if that was the case. She didn't hear the door open or hear Harry pad quietly over to the bed but she did feel the bed go down on Harry's side as he climbed on. Nikki tensed slightly as Harry lay down behind her and draped one arm over her waist and kissed her neck gently.

"Please don't cry" he whispered into her neck as he kissed her again "I hate it when you cry, it makes me feel like I have failed"

"Failed?" Nikki choked out and Harry made a noise of agreement as he propped himself up on one elbow and looked down at her running his hand gently over hair.

"When I first saw you cry I promised myself that I would never let it happen again"

"Really?" Nikki sniffed and turned her head so she was looking at him as he nodded and gave her a smile, she let out a small sob and more tears fell down her face "No-one has ever said that to me, no-one..has..ever made..me..feel as..loved..as you..and we've only..just..started.." she could continue her sentence as she started to sob loudly and Harry pulled her closer to her.

"This isn't just about us not using protection is it?" Harry whispered as he soothed her gently as Nikki shook her head and cried into his chest as she clutched at his shirt. He let her cry knowing she needed one but it still made him feel useless, her small sobs broke his heart and he could feel her whole body shaking in his arms. After a few minutes her sobs subsided but she remained clutching at Harry like her life depended on it.

"When I was on the phone to Leo today he said something about this trip being the only time when you will be tied down living with a woman" Nikki told him after a few minutes of comfortable silence "He was joking of course, he doesn't know about us, but it still hurt" she paused "More than I thought it would actually"

"Oh Nikki" Harry sighed and sat up against the headboard behind them and pulled Nikki gently onto his lap and held her close to him "You have no idea how much you mean to me do you?" he asked but Nikki didn't say anything "If I wasn't afraid that you would refuse me then I would ask you to move in with me straight away because I have fallen in love with you. I just missed the whole going on dates and getting to know each other thing and fell so hard for you it scares me" Harry stopped talking, not knowing whether or not he had stepped over the line. Nikki didn't say anything for a while but then looked up at him with a small smile on her face and reached up to place her hand on his cheek then leant up and kissed him softly.

"You mean it?" she asked quietly

"Which bit?" Harry enquired as he reached up and entwined his hand with Nikki's that was still on his cheek, he turned his head and kissed her palm as she replied.

"The part when you said that you loved me"

"_Love_ Nikki" Harry whispered as he turned back to her "Present tense and yes I meant every word"

* * *

**All is quiet now..just you wait though hehe! XD**

**xxx**


	13. Chapter 13

"We need to talk about the other situation" Harry told Nikki after another few minutes of them just cuddling and kissing lightly "Do you think that you could be pregnant?"

Nikki just shrugged slightly

"I don't know, it's only been what..two days?" Nikki replied and fiddled with a button on Harry's shirt "But I suppose I'm at the right time..." she trailed off and looked away from him but Harry reached up and moved her head gently so she was looking at him.

"Don't worry" he told her and Nikki shook her head

"I don't understand" she muttered "I thought you didn't want children, ever"

"I have never said that" Harry replied and laughed slightly "I never imagined me having children before I met you but now..." he shrugged again.

"Is this just because I mentioned it?" Nikki asked quickly and moved off Harry's lap as he shook his head.

"No Nikki I promise" he said and reached out for her but she moved away from him and climbed off the bed.

"I don't know why we are talking about this actually" Nikki shrugged as she walked to the doorway, suddenly cold towards Harry "I'm probably not even pregnant, it's only been two days so why are we even talking about it?" with that she walked out of the door leaving a confused and slightly distressed Harry on the bed.

------

That evening Nikki went to bed earlier than normal and by the time Harry climbed into bed she was already in a deep sleep, she didn't even stir when he climbed into bed and leant over to press a kiss onto her forehead before turning over and laying down.

Nikki woke before Harry the next morning and climbed out of bed as slowly as possible so not to wake the man next to her and picked up her clothes for the day and walked into the bathroom. Harry stirred when he heard the shower start to run and moaned slightly as he opened his eyes to the bright light streaming through the curtains. He sat up slightly and felt the bed next to him, it was still warm so he knew Nikki had only just got out. He flopped back down again and covered his face with one hand, he didn't know how to approach Nikki at the moment. The shower stopped running and a few minutes later Nikki walked into the room fully dressed, her blonde hair still wet and running down her back.

"Well I'm not pregnant" was the first thing she said to Harry and he frowned at her.

"And you know this how?" he asked, she was the one who was going on about how it had only been two days. Nikki just gave him a pointed look and it finally clicked "Oh"

"Good to know you're still all there" Nikki tapped the side of her head and turned away from him to grab her hair dryer. Harry felt himself feeling very disappointed and then found himself wondering where he could buy chocolate for Nikki, she always told him that chocolate helped during 'that time of the month' as he called it.

"You know you can stay here all day if you want" Harry told her as he climbed out of bed and Nikki turned to him and frowned, she was more forthcoming than the night before and Harry knew she was relieved that she wasn't pregnant, this hurt him slightly but he said nothing.

"Why?" Nikki asked slowly

"Well because.." Harry floundered slightly, he wasn't used to talking about women's problems, he motioned to her stomach "I thought you might..um..want to..I don't know..don't you women get pains or something?" he stammered and felt his face flushing as Nikki gave him a genuine smile "And I thought you would want to stay in bed and...eat chocolate"

Nikki laughed loudly at this and leant up to kiss him on the cheek.

"You're so sweet Harry" she told him and shook her head "But I'm fine"

"Sure?" he asked just to be certain and Nikki nodded and giggled "_What?_"

"Nothing" Nikki replied as she turned back to the mirror next to her and went to turn the hair dryer on but Harry took it out of her hand and threw it on the chair next to them before wrapping his arms around her waist and resting his chin on her shoulder.

"Are you disappointed?"

"About what?" Nikki asked, trying to avoid the question and Harry gave her a look in the mirror that caused her to cave in "I don't know"

"Okay if we were married and you found out you were pregnant would you be disappointed?" Harry asked hypothetically and Nikki shook her head slowly.

"No"

"Why?"

"Because we would be married and I would know that you..." Nikki stopped and shook her head before moving away from Harry's embrace to look out of the window over the misty hills outside.

"Know I would what?" came Harry's voice from behind her but Nikki just shrugged and didn't reply "Nikki"

"I would know that you love me and that you chose to spend the rest of your life with me" Nikki said loudly and turned to him "What if I was pregnant and then one day some other woman catches your eye and you think 'Oh well I'm not married to her it doesn't matter'?"

"Nikki" Harry gasped, a shocked look on his face as he shook his head "I would never..."

"No you _think_ you wouldn't Harry" Nikki interrupted as she turned to look at him "But if I was pregnant what would you have done? Stayed with me?"

"Of course" Harry cried out "What sort of man do you think I am"

"One who asks his girlfriend to get an abortion" Nikki shouted back at him and Harry winced slightly, that was a low blow "I don't think I could cope if you asked me to get one Harry"

"I wouldn't ask you to have one" he whispered as he looked past Nikki and out of the window, his voice cracked "I couldn't"

"Because you know I would say no"

"No because I love you" Harry shouted out suddenly and looked up at her "More than you will ever know and if you think I would ask you to have an abortion then you are _so _wrong"

With that Harry turned and stormed out of the room and Nikki jumped when she heard the bathroom door slam shut violently. She then started to sob as she turned and slid down the wall before burying her face in her knees and cried loudly.

* * *

**Thought I would be nice and upload another chapter. XD. Told you the happy stuff wouldn't last long. hehe!**

**xxx**


	14. Chapter 14

Harry slammed the bathroom door shut and brought his hand to his mouth to stop a sob escaping him, he had never been like this about a woman before, no woman had reduced him to tears like Nikki had. But the irony to Harry was that she had no idea how she affected him, they worked together every day and she still didn't understand how much she meant to him. With a lot of effort he steadied his emotions and decided to get ready for the day.

Nikki took a deep shuddering breath as she stood up from the floor and grabbed her coat before walking out of the bedroom, she was on a mission. Walking out of the house she made sure to close the door quietly and then made her way along the deserted early morning street and towards Arabella's house. She swallowed a lump that had formed in her throat and blinked away the tears as she thought back to hers and Harry's argument and a small sob escaped her lips. She knocked on Arabella's door knowing already that the woman would already be awake, everyone woke up early in this town Nikki had discovered. The door opened almost straight away and Arabella smiled at Nikki before spotting the distraught look on the blonde woman's face and her teary eyes.

"Nikki what's wrong? Come in"

Nikki gave the other woman a small sad smile and walked past her and through into the living room.

"Alec is already out so it is just us" Arabella informed Nikki as she walked into the room "Now what's wrong?"

Nikki didn't say anything but burst into tears again and allowed Arabella to pull her into her arms and comfort her. The other woman led Nikki over to the sofa and sat them both down at Nikki cried loudly.

"What's wrong Nikki?" Arabella asked again after a few minutes and Nikki pulled away from her and wiped her face while shaking her head.

"Me and Harry, we just..we had an argument"

"About what?" Arabella enquired "If you don't mind me asking"

"No it's fine" Nikki shrugged and took in a shaky breath "I thought there was a chance that I might be pregnant and I was so scared, I told Harry and he was understanding but.." Nikki shook her head again and let out a watery laugh "I don't think we..I..am cut out to be a parent, but.." she stopped talking and bit her lip

"And are you?" Arabella asked "Pregnant I mean"

"No" Nikki replied "and I felt myself so disappointed that I wasn't and that confused me a lot because I know I won't be a good mother"

"But you _want_ to be a mother" Arabella continued and Nikki nodded and closed her eyes against more tears.

"I haven't thought about it much before but this has made me do so" she took a deep breath and laughed hollowly "I'm so confused right now"

"Don't think about it then" Arabella told Nikki and stood up "Would you like a drink?"

"Coffee please" Nikki responded "With a large bottle of some sort of alcohol"

"Harry lets you drink?" Arabella enquired and Nikki winced slightly, she didn't know their customs on alcohol. She just nodded. "Well I have to sneak alcohol when Alec isn't around"

"Why did you marry him?" Nikki asked as she stood up and walked through to the kitchen while her friend made their drinks.

"Convenience" the other woman shrugged "My father wanted me to marry and Alec wanted a wife, simple"

Nikki thought this was a bleak way of life and had to wonder if there was any love between Arabella and Alec like there was between her and...she stopped that thought as soon as it came and pushed it from her mind as Arabella handed her a mug of coffee.

------

Harry was disappointed when he came out of the bathroom and found that Nikki wasn't in the house, he had no idea where she would go in the town and let out a long sigh as he turned away from the window and walked out of the house. He met Adair on the way down the street and the older man stopped him with a wave.

"Ah Harry the police have arrived" the Scotsman said and must have caught the surprise on Harry's face "They don't really have much to do up here as you can imagine so they jump at the chance when something does come up"

Harry chuckled and nodded as both men started to walk down the street towards the hospital.

"Is everything alright between your wife and you?" Adair asked suddenly but Harry ignored the question and kept on walking "Because I saw her going into my son's house this morning, Arabella was the only one there of course, but she looked terribly upset"

Harry just shrugged and turned away from where he was looking at the house he knew Nikki was in.

"We had an argument" he stated simply but Adair kept on pushing for information

"About what may I ask?"

"Children" Harry replied and avoided Adair's look "We thought there could be a chance that Nikki is pregnant but she isn't and we argued over it"

"I apologise for pushing you" Adair inclined his head in Harry's direction and the younger man just turned away and shrugged.

-------

Nikki didn't go back to the house after she had come out of Arabella's that afternoon, instead she made her way along to the place where she and Harry had first shared a kiss. She sat herself down on the grass by the river and just watched the water flow past her all the time trying to block out the memories from the morning. After half an hour of sitting there Nikki stood and started on a walk further up the path, she soon lost track of time while she was up there and when she next looked at her watch it was nearly five o'clock and it was getting dark very quickly.

-----

Harry sat in the living room clutching a mug of coffee tightly in his hands, he kept glancing at the clock and then the door hoping that Nikki would walk through it. It was already six o'clock and pitch black outside and no-one had seen Nikki all afternoon. Harry had gone to Arabella's when Nikki hadn't come home and had been told that Nikki had left just after twelve o'clock that afternoon. Harry heard the front door open and slammed his mug on the table as he jumped up and ran into the hall just in time to see Nikki close the front door.

"God Nikki" he breathed and pulled a shocked Nikki into his arms and pressed a kiss onto her head "Where the hell were you?" he asked loudly as he broke away just as quickly and walked into the living room with Nikki following "No-one has seen you all afternoon"

"I went for a walk" Nikki explained "and I lost track of time"

"You scared me" Harry admitted as he wrapped his arms around her again, Nikki hesitantly wrapped her arms around his waist and lay her head on his chest feeling safer than she had in a while now she was back in his arms "I thought something might have happened"

"I'm sorry for scaring you" she whispered against his chest "I just needed some time alone"

"I'm sorry for everything I said this morning" Harry told her as he pressed another kiss onto her head.

"You didn't say anything wrong Harry it was me" Nikki replied "and I'm sorry for bringing Penny up again and for saying that you'd leave me"

"That's alright" Harry chuckled and rested his cheek on her head "I'll just put it down to PMS, now can we stop apologising to each other?"

Nikki let out a small giggle and looked up at him, resting her chin on his chest.

"I love you" she said suddenly catching Harry of guard but a grin spread over his face when he processed what she had said and he leant down to kiss her.

"I love you too"

* * *

**I just couldn't keep them mad at each other for . I am going to start re-typing 'Balance' soon and uploading an updated version because seriously the old version is actually cringe worthy when I read it back now..and it was my first fanfic ever so you have to excuse the crapness. lol! XD**

**xxx**


	15. Chapter 15

"Care to give me an update on the case?" Nikki asked as Harry sat down next to her on the sofa and handed her a glass of red wine before allowing her to snuggle into him and wrapped one arm around her shoulder.

"Well the police came today, apparently they don't get much action up here so they wanted to get _in_ on the action as quickly as possible, and they are going to take the fingerprints of every adult in the town tomorrow just for reference in case we find anything with useable prints"

Nikki made a small noise to make sure Harry knew she was listening and then let out a contented sigh and snuggled further into Harry and allowed him to take her glass from her and put it on the table. Harry then reached up and ran his hand gently through her hair before pressing a kiss onto the top of her head.

"Can we try" Harry asked suddenly and Nikki looked up at him and frowned "For a baby I mean"

"But...we're not married" Nikki stated and Harry shook his head

"So?"

"And we've only just got together"

"Yeah you're right it was a stupid idea" Harry shrugged and looked away from Nikki but she reached up and placed her hand on his cheek and moved his head so he was looking at her again.

"No it's not, it's a perfectly reasonable idea" Nikki assured her lover "I just wanted to make sure you meant it and knew what you were saying"

"I did mean it" Harry nodded "and you know we don't have to be married to have children, are you still stuck in the dark ages Nikki?"

"Shut up" Nikki giggled as she slapped him on the chest "Leave me alone"

"Fine then" Harry joked as he went to get up but Nikki refused to move and pulled him down again before kissing him passionately.

"Don't you dare" she whispered against his lips before moving away and laying her head on his chest again "and yes we can try for a baby"

She missed Harry's happy grin as he heard this.

"People may think we are rushing things" Nikki added after a few seconds and Harry's grin faded as he thought she was changing her mind.

"Ah but those people can keep their opinions to themselves" Harry told her "They don't know us so they can't judge us"

"I was talking about Leo" Nikki told him and looked back up at him worry in her eyes "I mean what's he going to think when we go back? He sent us up here, both of us single with no indication we are going to get together, to do a case and we go back as lovers trying for a baby"

"Simple. We just don't tell him we are trying and when you get pregnant we feign surprise"

"You've thought all about this haven't you?" Nikki asked as she chuckled and Harry nodded.

"But I have been in love with you for so long Nikki I don't care what anyone says anymore and I want to start a family with you" Harry told her and Nikki silenced him with a kiss.

"Is there a hot water bottle in this house?" Nikki asked suddenly as she pulled away and Harry winced sympathetically before standing up to go and find one for her.

--------

"How are you feeling?" Harry asked as he climbed into bed, Nikki had ventured to bed an hour beforehand but was still awake.

"Like my stomach is getting ripped out" she replied evenly and buried her face in her pillow "I hate men sometimes"

"We're sorry" Harry told her as he lay down and pulled her closer to him "That we don't understand what you go through"

"I don't know why the men up here see women as inferior" Nikki sighed as she opened her eyes and turned her head slightly "Or just generally men in history really. I mean we go through this every month just for the simple fact that we aren't pregnant, and then when we get pregnant we have to carry around extra weight for nine months, not to mention the morning sickness, the hormones, the swollen ankles and then we have to give birth to the children and then we have to stay at home to..." her rant was silenced by Harry's lips on hers.

"I think you are amazing" Harry told her as he broke away from her "Now do you want some painkillers?"

"No thank you" Nikki shook her head and moved back slightly so she closer to him and pulled the duvet further up her body "Just hold me and I'll be fine"

-------

"Good morning" Harry grinned as he walked into the kitchen and wrapped his arms around Nikki who was waiting for the kettle to boil, she was still in her pyjamas and to Harry looked like she was in pain "Are you still in pain?"

"How do you know?" Nikki asked as she turned to him with a confused look on her face as he shrugged and pressed a kiss onto her lips.

"I can tell" he replied

Nikki suddenly felt extremely happy that Harry could understand what she was feeling just by looking at her, it made her feel very loved and special.

"I'll take some tablets and I'll be fine" Nikki gave him a small smile "Us women are used to it"

"Stop making me feel guilty" Harry whined as he kissed her again and Nikki scoffed and shook her head.

"I didn't say it to make you feel guilty"

"Of course you didn't" Harry replied sarcastically "I'm going back to the field up top today"

Nikki groaned and turned in his arms, ignoring the kettle as it finished boiling.

"Harry we've been up there twice already" she moaned "How many times do you want to trek up that hill?"

"We still haven't found the murder weapon" Harry explained "I want to see if we've missed it or if it was buried in one of the graves. Are you coming or not?"

"I suppose so" Nikki sighed dramatically "A walk might do me good anyway"

------

"Good morning" came Arabella's voice as Harry and Nikki walked past her house "How are you?" this was directed to Nikki.

"I'm fine now" Nikki nodded and gave Arabella a smile "Thank you for yesterday, I needed that chat"

"Some of the women are meeting here tonight" the younger woman informed Nikki who nodded and glanced at Harry who motioned with his head towards Arabella's house as if giving her his permission "Come around at about five"

"I'll be there" Nikki confirmed then turned and walked away with Harry in the direction of the farm "You know they aren't the meek humble women the men think they are"

"Really" Harry said "So they are kind of like you then, pretending"

"I suppose they are but I don't have to act like this for the rest of my life" Nikki replied as they got to the bottom of the hill.

"Do you want me to carry you?" Harry asked Nikki seriously but she could see his mouth twitching as he tried not to laugh.

"Are you mocking me?" Nikki gasped "I am not in the right frame of mind for you to be mocking me Cunningham"

"I do apologise _my love_" Harry sighed and grasped her hand tightly "I'll make it up to you when I can"

"Good" Nikki grinned and looked up at the hill "Come on then, let's get it over and done with"

* * *

**I have an entire day off school tomorrow so there will be major re-typing of 'Balance'..I might even upload a chapter or two..and some more chapters of this story will be writen as well.**

**xxx**


	16. Chapter 16

"You will never guess what I have just found" Nikki told Harry as she leant in the hole that they had dug two of the five bodies out of.

"Let me guess" Harry said as he walked over to her "A dinosaur fossil"

"Sarcasm doesn't become you Harry" Nikki sighed and Harry just chuckled "No I have in fact found what looks like a hammer"

"Well it either is a hammer or it is not a hammer" Harry replied "They are pretty simple to identify"

"Oh really" Nikki asked and looked at him "Since when are you such a hammer expert?"

"Since..I am the male in this relationship so I must know this stuff" Harry told her seriously but snorted when Nikki shook her head and looked back down the hole. Nikki then reached out with her gloved hand and pulled something out of the dirt which both of them clearly identified as a hammer.

"Ten pounds that this is the murder weapon" Nikki said to Harry as he held a bag open for her to place the hammer in.

"No because this is most _certainly_ the murder weapon" Harry responded as he sealed the bag, he then tapped Nikki on the nose causing her to wrinkle her face and poke her tongue out at him.

------

"The police have printed the towns people" Adair told them both as they stood in the morgue under the hospital "You should be able to find a match to any prints on the hammer, yes?"

"Maybe" Harry replied and Nikki winced slightly as a shot of pain flew through her stomach and she sat down heavily on one of the chairs "We don't have the equipment here that we have at home but we will do our best"

"That is good" Adair nodded but he had a troubled look on his face "It is hard for us to imagine that one of us may be a murderer, you have to understand"

"Of course" Harry nodded and both men looked around in alarm when they heard Nikki heave and vomit over the floor behind them "Nikki.." Harry made his way quickly over to her and his heart pounded when she doubled over and clutched her stomach as she tried to stand up. Harry helped her stand up and Adair walked over to them but Nikki's pain seemed to increase as she got to her feet and she let out a sob.

"Where does it hurt sweetheart?" Harry asked quickly as he bent down in front of her "Your stomach?"

Nikki just nodded and tried to take in a breath but Harry heard her having trouble to do so.

"Are you _sure_ you can't be pregnant?" he asked, his mind searching his medical training for any possibilities of what could be causing her pain "Go and get a doctor" he shot this at Adair as Nikki nodded.

"Of course I'm _bloody_ sure" she ground out "Make it stop Harry" she sobbed and tears leaked down her face "God it hurts so much" she sat back down heavily on the chair behind her and took a deep breath.

"What did I say?" Harry snapped at the older man as he turned to the terrified looking Adair "The doctor"

"He's not..he's not around, he's visiting patients in another town" Adair stammered as he looked at Nikki "He won't be back for a few days"

"Where did it start?" Harry directed this at Nikki as his mind settled on something "Was it around here?" he moved his hand to touch next to Nikki's belly button and she moved involuntarily away from him before he even touched her, her breaths coming in short gasps "I'm sorry Nikki but I have to do this" he muttered and pressed down slightly on the left side of her stomach causing her to cry out and reach up to grip his arm tightly. Harry then reached up and placed the back of his hand on her forehead, she was burning up. "Shit" he breathed out and spun around to Adair just as Nikki leant back against the chair and took a deep breath before closing her eyes against the pain "I need to get to an operating theatre now, she's got a burst appendix, it's the only explanation I can think of and she's got all the symptoms and if I don't operate now she is going to die"

Adair saw the pleading look in Harry's eyes and nodded, walking quickly from the room. Harry gently picked Nikki up and walked swiftly after the elderly man who was walking very quickly for someone of his age.

"You're going to be fine" Harry whispered to Nikki who whimpered slightly in his arms as his movement jolted her stomach "I promise, I won't let anything bad happen to you"

"I'm sorry Dr Cunningham" he was saying "We have so few people in our town that a doctor isn't needed all the time, neither is a surgeon and there aren't even any patients here at the moment"

"You do have the proper equipment" Harry had to make sure as Adair held the door to the operating theatre open, it was surprisingly up to date.

"Of course" Adair nodded "Our doctor moved here from London and made sure we had it all up to date just in case"

"Just in case" Harry mumbled as he placed Nikki on the table in front of him, he found he was shaking violently and tried to stop himself from doing so, he couldn't perform surgery with shaky hands. He ran his hand over Nikki's sweaty forehead and gave her a small smile as she groaned and opened her eyes.

"Nikki calm down, do you remember?" Harry told her as he saw her start to panic but the panic was overridden by pain as she tried to curl up into a ball "Don't" he warned "Nikki I think your appendix has burst, it wasn't period pains you were having it was an inflamed appendix"

"Who's..." she ground out and clamped her eyes shut against the worst pain she had ever felt, she tried to think back to what Harry had said in the morgue but the pain was clouding her mind. She cried out again as another wave of pain flew through her body and she let out a loud sob.

"I'm going to have to operate on you" Harry whispered to her as he pressed a kiss onto her clammy forehead "Do you trust me?"

"Of course" Nikki replied instantly "With my life" she muttered as she lost consciousness again.

Harry had never been so nervous in his life as he washed his hands and prepared Nikki for the surgery, his hands were still shaking and he couldn't help but think back to the last time he had performed live surgery which was back in Africa. This didn't help his state of mind at all as he carefully anesthetised Nikki, he knew he shouldn't be doing this on his own but there was no-one else and he couldn't risk Nikki getting an infection.

"Can I do anything?" Adair asked from where he was hovering by the door and Harry shook his head violently as he picked up the scalpel.

"No I need to do this as quickly as possible otherwise she could.." he didn't finish his sentence but Adair got the message and exited the operating theatre leaving Harry alone with an anesthetised Nikki.

* * *

**Ha! How evil am I? All that medical stuff is true...I actually researched XD.**

**xxx**


	17. Chapter 17

Some tense hours later and Harry was sitting by Nikki's hospital bed, it wasn't a large hospital, only two stories high not including the morgue in the basement, but it still felt very eerie to be all alone in it. Harry found himself suddenly hating the people in the town with such a passion that it scared him, they didn't even have a proper hospital and staff and because of that his Nikki could...he didn't want to think about that as he reached out and grasped Nikki's hand in his own. His hand started to shake as he remembered how scared he had been while performing the surgery he hadn't done for years and how he knew Nikki would die if he didn't do it. Maybe that was what helped him get through it on his own, Harry thought but Nikki wasn't out of the danger zone yet. He ran one hand over his face and looked up when the door opened and Adair walked in.

"How is your wife?"

"She's fine" Harry responded automatically and turned back to Nikki who looked so small and fragile in the bed that it broke his heart to see her like that "I just don't know if my surgery was a success or not, I might have killed her" he choked out and Adair placed one hand on the younger man's shoulder.

"You tried" he told Harry who shook his head and looked at the older man.

"No you don't understand" he whispered as his eyes filled with tears "I couldn't ever live with myself if I was the cause of her dying"

"Maybe" Adair shrugged "But by performing that surgery you have given her a chance"

Harry didn't reply to this so Adair patted him on the shoulder again and walked out of the room leaving Harry alone with his thoughts. He then remembered that Leo hadn't been informed of the situation and pulled his phone out of his pocket, his other hand still gripping Nikki's tightly.

"_Dalton"_ came Leo's voice down the phone

"Leo" Harry replied so relieved to hear the older man's friendly voice "Um..Nikki's..she's in hospital"

"_What?"_ Leo asked instantly and Harry heard him drop whatever he was holding _"What happened?"_

"Her appendix burst" Harry choked out and almost lost control of his emotions as he looked down at Nikki again "I had to..the doctor, surgeon, wasn't in the town so I had to..what if I did something wrong Leo"

"_What did you have to do?" _Leo asked evenly _"The surgery?"_

"Yes" Harry replied as he took a deep breath and nodded even though Leo couldn't see "God Leo it was the most scariest thing I have ever done, what if I did it wrong and I did more harm than good and something happens?"

"_At least you tried" _Leo soothed Harry but the younger man felt more vulnerable than he had ever felt in his life _"She needs proper hospital treatment"_

"I know" Harry whispered as he ran his hand over Nikki's damn forehead "I can't lose her Leo, I've only just found her"

Leo didn't question this at that moment but sighed.

"_I'll get onto one of the hospitals and tell them your situation, I'll ask for a helicopter to be sent to bring you both back to London so she can have proper treatment"_

"Thank you Leo" Harry choked out and took a deep breath, he didn't want to break down on the phone to his boss.

"_I'm sure you did your best Harry" _was Leo's last comment before the older man hung up the phone and left Harry with the dial tone in his ear. There was a groan from the bed and Harry sat up slightly when Nikki moved her head and her eyes flickered open, Harry's relief was short lived when he saw the pain in her eyes.

"It hurts Harry" Nikki whimpered quietly "Please make it stop"

"I tried to Nikki" Harry replied and rubbed her hand that was gripping his tightly with his thumb. He was more worried now than he was before the operation, Nikki wasn't meant to be in as much pain as she was and he was terrified that he had done something wrong.

"I trust you Harry" Nikki whispered and gave him a small smile but then screwed her face up in pain again and gripped his hand tighter "With my life" she told him and a few tears leaked down her face which Harry wiped away and leant over to kiss her forehead and run his hand over her hair.

"I've been on the phone to Leo and he's going to contact a hospital and use his status to try and get a helicopter to come and get us" Harry told her quietly "because there isn't enough medical equipment up here to treat you and I would rather a properly trained doctor looked after you"

"You _are_ a properly trained doctor" Nikki mumbled "What about..the operation..you..performed in...Africa?" her words were punctuated by short intakes of breath. Harry didn't want to think of that, that person had died and he wanted to forget it.

"You know what happened then" he whispered tearfully and had to look away from her to blink away the tears.

"It's..not a..crime..to cry..Harry" Nikki told him quietly and he turned to look at her "I love you"

"and I love you" Harry replied and leant over to kiss her as his voice cracked "And when we get back to London and you are all better I intend to marry you"

Nikki gave him a small smile and closed her eyes while nodding.

"I'd like that" she whispered before she lost consciousness again. Only then did Harry let himself break and he gripped Nikki's hand in his and sobbed loudly.

Meanwhile, Leo was on the phone to one of the powers that be at the home office telling him the situation.

"Look you sent them up there and I want you to send a helicopter up there to bring them back, if you don't we will all hold you responsible for the death of one of your top pathologists, two actually if you count the fact Harry will lose the will to live if anything happens to Nikki"

"_Leo look we can't just send a medical helicopter past the Scottish border to pick them up" _Professor Williams was saying on the other end of the phone.

"Contact the Scottish authorities then" Leo snapped "Because I don't want to lose the only family I have left because of bloody rules and regulations" he stopped and took a deep breath "Please?" he asked quietly and then heard a small sigh on the other end of the phone.

"_Call Dr Cunningham and tell him to get ready, one of the Scottish officials owes me a favour anyway"_

"Thank you so much James" Leo gushed out and hung up before dialling Harry's number.

"_Leo" _the phone was picked up straight away _"What did they say?"_

"A friend of mine in the home office is contacting the Scottish authorities to allow one of our medical helicopters up there, one of them owes him a favour" Leo explained and he heard Harry's sigh of relief "Get ready to leave as soon as possible"

* * *

**Angsty fluff! XD Dunno if it was written alright but there we go.**

**xxx**


	18. Chapter 18

Harry nearly bumped into Adair and Alec on his way out of the hospital, it took him a while to peel himself away from Nikki but he realised he had to and had rushed out of the room as quickly as possible to get everything ready.

"How is your wife?" Adair asked Harry and placed a hand on the younger man's shoulder.

"Our home office is sending a medical helicopter to pick us up and take us to a London hospital" Harry explained "If we don't go then Nikki will die"

"You do this all for a woman?" Alec asked and Harry shot him a glare and surprisingly so did Adair "Can't you just get another one?"

"You have no idea how much I love her" Harry hissed as he forced himself not to punch the smug look of Alec's face "You may not have _any _respect for your wife, or for any woman in fact, but you know what? They deserve to be worshiped for all they do for us" he then turned to Adair who he knew was softening to Nikki "Will you please stay with her?"

"Of course I will" Adair nodded and a guilty looked passed over his face as Alec turned and walked back down the road where he had just come from "I apologise for how we have treated your wife, I am afraid that it was my own father who drummed it into my son about how he thinks women should be treated. My own wife was as dear to me as my own soul and she was the reason I lived, much like you I imagine, but my son worshiped his grandfather and thought his word was law, I tried to stop him but I couldn't" Adair stopped and blinked away tears "Most of the men in this town were misguided by traditionalists in their families, and I apologise for that" he then turned and walked into the hospital leaving Harry to process what he had said.

The next few hours passed in a blur for Harry and the next thing he knew he was sitting in the waiting room of Kings hospital in London waiting for any news about how Nikki was doing. As soon as they had landed on the roof of the hospital the doctors and nurses had rushed her straight through and had made Harry wait for any information. On the way to the hospital he had explained everything that had happened and the paramedics who had come to collect them had every faith that he had done the right thing and a good job. Harry felt otherwise. He sighed loudly as he leant his elbows on his knees and rested his chin on his entwined fingers, he had called Leo about an hour beforehand but the older man had been in a meeting of some sort so couldn't answer his phone, Harry had just left him a voice message telling him what was going on and telling him to come to the hospital whenever he wanted. The door opened and Harry turned his head to see Leo walking in the room, he didn't bother to stand up as Leo seated himself next to him and patted him on the shoulder.

"You did well Harry" he told the younger man who just shrugged "Without what you did I'm sure Nikki wouldn't have made it this far"

"I just keep thinking back to Africa" Harry whispered as he sat up fully and stretched his back "And what happened when I performed an operation there"

Leo didn't know how to respond to that, he knew that incident had haunted Harry in the past months since they had returned from Africa and he hoped that saving Nikki's life might help with the failure Harry was feeling.

"Nikki's a fighter" Leo told Harry who nodded and smiled as he thought of his lover "She won't leave us"

"What's going on with the case?" Harry asked after a while "Nikki's going to be out of action for a while and I'm not leaving her"

Leo frowned slightly when he said this, to him that was more than just a best friend's concern.

"I'll call the home office and tell them the situation" Leo stated "Is there anything else you wish to tell me?" he smiled when he said this and a grin grew on Harry's face.

"Nikki and I we..." Harry trailed off "Some good came out of going up there anyway" he added and Leo chuckled and patted him on the back.

"Well it's about time" he told his younger friend "Why do you think I asked for you two to be sent up there?"

"Sorry?" Harry asked quite confused "You _asked _for me and Nikki to have this case?"

"Yes" Leo said simply "The home office were looking for two pathologists, one male and one female, to act as husband and wife to go and perform the autopsies and I thought that as you two acted like husband and wife you'd be perfect for the job" Leo was grinning by the time he had finished and Harry had a shocked look on his face as this sunk in. He was about to open his mouth to say something when the door opened again and a doctor walked in.

"Harry Cunningham?"

"Yes" Harry said instantly and both men stood up

"I was operating on your wife just to make sure things were okay" the doctor told him and Harry winced slightly when he heard this. Adair and Alec had been there when they had both got into the helicopter so Harry had told the paramedics that Nikki was his wife "Your own operation was a complete success I am happy to say"

"Really?" Harry whispered "I didn't..Nikki's going to be okay?"

"With lots of rest and TLC she will be back on her feet in no time" the doctor replied with a smile and Harry let out a sigh of relief and ran one hand through his hair.

"Can we see her?"

"Of course" the doctor nodded and motioned to them to follow him out of the room. He then walked down the corridor and pointed to some stairs at the end "They are just moving her into room two hundred, just up the stairs. Her heart is being monitored and all that so don't be alarmed by all the machines"

"Right, thank you" Harry nodded before himself and Leo made their way up the stairs and walked cautiously into the room they had been directed to. Nikki was laying in the middle of the hospital bed, one arm was attached to a drip by the side of the bed one giving her blood, the other giving her what Harry and Leo assumed was morphine. Harry swallowed a lump that had formed in his throat when he saw his lover laying motionless and vulnerable in the bed. He reached over and gently covered one of Nikki's hands with his own and was alarmed to feel it very cold. He ran his thumb gently over the smooth surface then bent over and pressed a kiss onto her lips, ignoring the fact that Leo was in the room as well.

"Do you have any idea what she had to put up with up there?" he then asked Leo as he straightened up to look at the older man who shook his head "She had to dumb herself down and become someone that she clearly isn't just because of _their_ traditions. I had to publicly put her down and even though she knew I was making it up the look on her face when I did so made me hate myself Leo" he whispered the last part and turned away from the other pathologist "You should have seen the way the men up there treat their women"

Leo didn't know how to respond to this so looked away from his younger friend and smiled slightly when he noticed that they both still had their 'wedding rings' on. His phone vibrated suddenly in his pocket and he pulled it out to look at the caller I.D.

"It's from the home office" he explained to Harry as he walked towards the door "I have to take this, I'll come back later on okay?"

* * *

**I was in two minds whether or not to kill Nikki...but once again found I couldn't do it. lol! **

**xxx**


	19. Chapter 19

Hours later and Harry was still sitting on the chair next to Nikki's bed staring at the wedding ring still on his finger. He fiddled with it with his other hand and couldn't help but keep looking at Nikki's own on her hand, he hadn't had the heart to reach over and take them off now that they didn't need them anymore. He liked to think that they could pretend for a little bit longer. Sighing quietly he reached over and took Nikki's hand in his and went to slide the two rings off her finger but the hand contracted around his stopping him from doing so.

"What do you think you are doing?" Nikki mumbled from the bed and Harry forgot all about the rings as he looked up at her and saw her looking back at him with a small tired smile on her face "Hello"

"Hello" he whispered back and leant up to press a kiss onto her forehead, she had a bit more colour in her cheeks now "How are you feeling?"

"Sore" Nikki replied and winced as she tried to move the stitches in her stomach pulling "But I'll be alright"

"You better be" Harry chuckled and pressed a kiss onto her lips.

"What happened?" Nikki mumbled as she patted the bed next to her indicating for Harry to lay there. He moved tentatively as not to hurt her and she moved so her head was lying on his chest, wincing again but then settling down. Harry wrapped one arm around her back and ran his hand through her hair.

"Your appendix burst" Harry explained "I had to perform the operation all the way up there in their little hospital but without proper care you would have...I would have lost you"

"Thank you Harry" Nikki whispered as she sighed contentedly as she closed her eyes and moved closer to her lover "I told you I trusted you with my life"

"I know I just don't know if _I_ trust myself with your life" Harry replied quietly as he leant down and pressed another kiss onto her head, he was so happy to have to back that he just wanted to sit with her all night "You're just too precious for me to lose"

"No-one's ever told me that before" Nikki mumbled into his chest "It's nice to hear you say it"

"Do you remember what I told you back in the hospital?" Harry asked suddenly and Nikki frowned as she tried to think back but her mind was blurry of everything that happened after they had come out of the morgue.

"No"

"Oh" was all Harry said then he bit his lip as he looked down at her "Marry me?"

"Sorry?"

"I told you that when we get back to London I would make you my wife" Harry told her quietly, he thought that she had only agreed because she was under a lot of pain and was confused "And you said that you would like that, I mean if you don't want to then..."

He was cut off by Nikki's lips covering his own but she broke away as quickly as she had kissed him, she smiled and reached up and placed one hand on his cheek, stroking it gently with her thumb.

"I would love to be your wife" she whispered tearfully and Harry looked as though he could hardly believe it.

"You'll marry me?" he gasped and Nikki chuckled and nodded

"That is what usually happens to become someone's wife" she replied and kissed him again "So yes I will marry you" she then moved away from him slightly and took a sharp breath as her stomach pulled.

"Do you want to lay down?"

Nikki nodded and Harry helped her lay down and pull the duvet over her, he then sat on the chair next to the bed and leant forward to cover one of Nikki's hands in his own as she turned her head to look at him with a smile on her face.

"I'm sorry I don't have a ring" Harry said after a while and Nikki chuckled and shook her head

"Don't worry about it" she sighed tiredly "It doesn't matter"

"Go to sleep" Harry told her when he saw her eyes getting heavy "You look exhausted"

"Thank you" she laughed and Harry chuckled and leant over to kiss her on the forehead "Will you stay with me?"

"Of course I will sweetheart" Harry agreed and gave her a smile as she closed her eyes and snuggled further into the bed before her breathing evened out and she fell asleep.

The next morning when Nikki woke up she groaned as the bright light seeping through the curtains assaulted her eyes. Clamping them shut again she moved slightly and gasped as pain shot up her body from her stomach, it was then that everything came back to her. She opened her eyes and looked around the room, the seat next to the bed was empty but Nikki was disappointed to see it empty. The door opened and Nikki turned hoping to see Harry walk in but it was only a doctor.

"Good to see you awake" he smiled and Nikki gave him a small grimace as her stomach started to ache "I'm Dr Carter" he told Nikki "I operated on you yesterday just to make sure that Dr Cunningham did everything correctly, actually it was on his instruction that we opened you up again. He was terrified that he had done something wrong"

Nikki only nodded and sighed

"He's a pathologist not a surgeon" she replied "He wouldn't have done it if it wasn't necessary"

"How are you feeling today?" Dr Carter asked as he walked over to the side of the bed and checked on the drips "Any pain?"

"Just a ache in my stomach" Nikki told him as she brought her hand to her eyes and rubbed them "But I suppose that is to be expected really"

"Yes it is" Dr Carter nodded and they both looked towards the door as it opened and Harry walked in.

"Morning beautiful" he said to Nikki as he walked over to the bed and leant over to kiss her on the lips "How are you?"

"Sore" she replied and entwined their fingers

"I was just finding out how Nikki is this morning" Dr Carter told Harry who smiled and nodded "Actually she should be out by the end of the week"

"But it's Wednesday" Harry said quickly "Isn't that too soon?"

"As long as she gets lots of bed rest then it is fine for her to go home" Dr Carter smiled "But there is to be no strenuous work of any kind"

"None at all?" Nikki whined "What am I going to do?"

"Rest" Harry and Dr Carter replied at the same time and all three occupants of the room laughed

"If I must"

"Yes you must" Harry told her forcibly "I'll stay at home if I have too, just to keep you in bed"

Nikki blushed slightly when he said this and Dr Carter chuckled as Harry realised what he had said and rolled his eyes.

"Not like that" he sighed dramatically "The doctor said there should be no strenuous work"

* * *

**Well only one more chapter to go now...otherwise this story would get away from me and that would be !**

**xxx**


	20. Chapter 20

Almost two months later all that was left of Nikki's ordeal was a slight scar on her stomach, Harry had asked her to move into his house permanently and Nikki had said yes but had told him that she was keeping her own house for the time being in case it was needed at some point, Harry had agreed to this.

"You know.." Nikki started as she finished wiping up the dinner things and put the wiping up cloth back on the dryer "Things are going to be a bit different soon"

"Oh really?" Harry asked as he walked over to her and placed his hands on her hips thinking that she meant about her moving in with him permanently, he leant down to kiss her but Nikki shook her head and placed her hands on his shoulders.

"Yes, because in a few months you are going to be a daddy Dr Cunningham" she told him and looked him in the eyes to see his reaction.

"I'm what?" he whispered in shock "I'm going to...you're...God Nikki that's brilliant" he laughed and leant down to kiss her, this time she let him do it and wrapped her arms around the back of his neck to pull her closer to him "You're amazing do you know that?" he asked when he broke away and leant his forehead on hers.

"You helped you know" Nikki chuckled and absentmindedly fiddled with the hair on the nape of his neck "I didn't do it all by myself"

"Yes well..you have to carry the..our baby so really you are the amazing one" Harry told her and kissed her again "Wow, I'm going to be a daddy" he breathed and Nikki smiled and nodded "and you" he kissed her on the nose "Are going to be a mummy"

"Yes we are" she replied "I take it you are happy about it"

"Of course I am" Harry laughed "Were you scared to tell me?" he asked quietly

"Not scared as such" Nikki shrugged "I mean we were trying for a baby, it was just a shock to me that we got pregnant so fast and I thought you may want to wait until we are actually married"

"Will you stop going on about thinking we have to be married to have children" Harry told her "We don't okay?"

"Okay" Nikki nodded "And speaking of getting married can we get married after the baby is born? By the time we get everything sorted out I will be the size of a small whale and I don't want that in our wedding photos"

"Of course we can wait, as long as I come out of it with you as my wife I don't care when we have it as long as you are happy. And you won't be the size of a small whale you will be pregnant and beautiful"

"Flatterer" Nikki mumbled against his lips as she kissed him again "Flattery won't get you anywhere Harry, but it will help"

Harry chuckled and started to run one hand up the front of Nikki's blouse and she shivered when he started to kiss her neck.

"I think..." he pressed tiny kisses on her skin and moved the blouse away from her shoulders as he undid the buttons "We need to go and celebrate" he moved away from her causing Nikki to moan at the loss of contact "But before that I have something for you"

"Oh?" Nikki asked slowly and Harry nodded and grinned as he took her hand in his and led her from the kitchen and into the living room where he reached into his jacket pocket that was flung over the side of the sofa and pulled out a box. Nikki let out a small breath when she saw this and Harry have her an almost shy smile and opened the box and showed Nikki the ring that was nestled inside.

"Will you marry me?" he asked again and Nikki nodded as she let the tears slip down her face and flung her arms around Harry's neck and kissed him fully on the lips.

"That's three times you've asked me now and the answer has always been the same" she told him as she drew back and let him take her left hand in his and slip the ring onto her finger "It's beautiful" she whispered as she looked at it properly and Harry gave her a watery chuckle before clearing his throat.

"Only the best for my beautiful fiancé" he told her and wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her closer to him "I love you"

"And I love you" Nikki replied and kissed him once again before he took her hand again and led her out of the room and upstairs to celebrate both cases of good news.

* * *

**Ta da! All finished! XD I had to finish it on a high note, I couldn't just leave it hanging about what happened afterwards. lol!**

**And I've already started on another fanfic which will be completely different to this one I can assure you now, so keep an eye out for that. I may even upload the first chapter tonight at some point. :D**

**xxx**


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